


Dig Two Graves

by ArcaneGlitch (TheWolfParadox)



Series: Chasing Fate [10]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Devourer Bullet, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Infinite Forest (Destiny), Major Character Injury, Outer Space, Past Relationship(s), Prison of Elders, Science Fiction, Tangled Shore, The Last City (Destiny), The Reef (Destiny), Time Travel, Vestian Outpost, Vex technology, Weapons of Sorrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23720566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfParadox/pseuds/ArcaneGlitch
Summary: Death is a powerful force. It can bring people together in shared grief or split them apart. Trouble in the Awoken's Prison of Elders initiates a chain of events with the power to split loyalties. Bonds can be strengthened, or they can be broken. The trouble is, you never know what will happen. After all, everyone reacts to grief differently.
Series: Chasing Fate [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/923538
Comments: 33
Kudos: 23
Collections: Destiny





	1. The Man They Called Cayde

Harley was reading a book in the old Tower when he got an alert, pulling him from his thoughts. He frowned at his interface, unsure if he was reading the message correctly. Osiris rarely contacted him. Not over the interface. He knew that Harley knew when to return. If he needed to get a message to him, he would usually send a Reflection to deliver it. And since Harley had gotten better at creating his own Reflections, there was rarely a need for them to meet in person. But apparently, something was amiss enough that Osiris didn't want to bother with Reflections.

Harley set the book down and opened a portal to exit the simulation. He stepped through, transitioning from the cool open air to a musty enclosed space. The room he stood in was dark and faintly purple. On one side, a wall had been smashed through, leaving a jagged opening into a larger space beyond. He could make out airlock doors across from him. The air smelled strongly of smoke and somewhere outside of the room, an alarm blared faintly. Osiris stood in the middle of the space, his face grim as he studied a form on the floor. Harley walked over.

"What is it? What did you find?"

"Unpleasant tidings." The Warlock gestured.

Harley took a closer look at the figure on the floor. His heart twisted. "Cayde."

The Exo lay still. His eyes were dark and a ragged hole had been punched through his chest. Harley fought to get words out, his eyes locked on Cayde's form.

"Where?"

"The Reef," said Osiris, "The Awoken's Prison of Elders."

" _When_?"

"I can't be certain. Soon."

"Can I stop it? Maybe I could back him up... Or stop him from going in the first place."

"It is a possibility."

Harley nodded, his mind made up. "Then I'm going. If there's a chance that I can save him, I need to take it."

Osiris nodded in acceptance, though he didn't look happy about it. He summoned a portal back to his fortress. "I trust you can return from here?"

"Yes."

Osiris sighed. "Very well then, Harley Hayden... I don't usually work with Hunters but I must commend you for your dedication. You have been a worthy student. But do not forget that as with all things, there is still more to learn."

"I'll come back once I've made sure that Cayde doesn't die in the Prison of Elders," promised Harley.

Osiris nodded, extending his hand. Harley ignored it, instead pulling him into a hug. The Warlock seemed taken aback. He cleared his throat as Harley stepped back.

"Yes...well... I shall expect your return, Hunter."

Harley stifled a grin. "Until then."

With that, he opened a portal to Mercury, at long last returning to the real world.

The Sun shone just as brightly as it had the day he'd departed, shimmering off of the sand and Vex structures. Harley took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm air.

"How long has it been?" he asked.

" _We spent almost exactly three years inside the Forest,"_ Prism replied, " _Out here, only six months have passed."_

Harley nodded. It had taken years and multiple experiences with Vex constructs but Vex time mechanics no longer shocked him quite as much. The passage of time went unnoticed in the Forest. Even knowing that it had been three years since he'd entered the Forest, he had trouble seeing it that way.

But in any case, they were out now and had to get reacquainted with reality in time to stop whatever killed Cayde. Given that neither he or Osiris could be sure _when_ it would happen, the timeframe they had to work with was incredibly uncertain.

" _Are you going to call Cayde?"_ asked Prism.

Harley frowned. "What would I say? '...Hey, Cayde, it's me. Sorry I peaced out for six months but I'm back now and ready to fight some aliens! By the way, are you planning to go to the Prison of Elders anytime soon?'"

" _I'm sure you could call him without explaining all that. Cayde isn't very secretive. If he's planning to go out there, odds are that he'll mention it."_

Harley considered it. There was truth to her words. Cayde liked to talk about his escapades, both past and planned. Besides, he didn't have many other ways of establishing a timeline. A conversation with Cayde should at least give him a rough idea. He nodded.

"Ok, I'll call him. Could you summon the Star?"

" _Sure."_

Harley opened his interface. While in the Infinite Forest, he hadn't been able to make contact with anyone on the outside due to the amount of Vex interference. Grimacing at the number of unread messages that greeted him, he called Cayde. The Hunter Vanguard answered almost instantly.

_"Heya, kid! Long time, no see."_

Harley smiled. "Hey, Cayde."

_"You were off the grid for a while. Where've ya been, Ace?"_

"Oh, doing this and that," said Harley evasively, "Chasing Vex. You know how they can mess with the comms."

Cayde chuckled. _"That I do... So what brings ya back? Finally kill all the Vex in the system? Travel back in time and erase 'em from existence?"_

Harley chuckled. "No, unfortunately. I just got out of- I wanted to check-in, see how everyone's doing... Did the Vanguard try to contact me at all?"

_"Nah, I covered for ya. Figured you could use the leave."_

Harley sighed in relief. "Thanks, Cayde."

 _"No big deal,"_ said Cayde cheerfully.

"How are things back at the Tower?"

_"Good. Boring, to tell the truth. Not that that's anything new."_

"You can say that again. Still, better boring than the Red Legion knocking on our door... I'll stop by and pay you a visit."

_"Sounds great! But the thing is, I'm not actually there right now... Flying out to the Reef. Petra wanted my help with something."_

Harley felt his insides lurch. He had even less time than he'd thought. He tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"You sure it can't wait?"

_"'Fraid so. Petra said it was urgent. Riot in the Prison of Elders... Ever been?"_

Harley's stomach clenched. "No," he said carefully, "I can't say I have."

_"Tell ya what, kid... Why don't you come with me? It'll give you a chance to see the place, wreak some havoc, and we can even get ramen afterward."_

"Sure," said Harley, trying not to sound too eager. If he was there, then he could stop Cayde's death from happening.

He watched his ship fly in. "The Star just got here. What's the travel time looking like?"

Cayde laughed. _"Six hours, so you'd best get comfy... I'll wait for ya."_

"Sounds good. See you then."

Harley ended the call and transmatted into the Star. He wasted no time setting a course for the Reef, noting the six-hour travel projection. Making the jump to warp space, he sighed. "I really hope we can stop this, Prism."

They had to exit warp space several times, as they hadn't been able to get a direct flight path from Mercury to the Reef, the delays slowing them down even more. Needless to say, Harley was intensely nervous that Cayde hadn't waited for them, instead opting to brave the Prison of Elders alone. His fears were rendered groundless, however, as he transmatted out onto the catwalk and saw Cayde and Petra Venj waiting at the entrance to the prison.

Cayde greeted him with enthusiastic finger guns. "Hey! There he is!" He hugged Harley as soon as he was within range, then turned back to face Petra, one arm across Harley's shoulders.

"Harley," Petra greeted with a nod, "It's been a while."

The last time they'd seen each other had been when Harley was out in the Reef, attempting to locate Prince Uldren after the Taken War.

"It has. It's good to see you again, Petra. I'm glad you made it through the Red War. Was there any fallout here?"

"Not nearly as much as there was with the Taken War. We had a few encounters with the Red Legion... I hear your City did as well."

"We sure did," said Cayde, "But we showed those Red Legion bastards who's boss."

A small smile appeared on Petra's face before vanishing just as quickly. "I'm sorry that this isn't a social call... Though I'm sure we'll all have time to catch up afterward." She looked at Harley. "There's a riot in the prison. While the main area and lower levels are locked down, gen-pop is in chaos."

"Hmm," said Harley, "So we go in and put an end to it?"

"Sounds like any other Tuesday," said Cayde cheerfully. He patted Harley's shoulder. "See ya down there!"

Harley watched as the Hunter Vanguard jumped off of the catwalk. "Good luck, Harley," said Petra, jogging off to the main entrance. Harley took a moment to get rid of the apprehension he felt before following her.

Inside, the prison was as chaotic as could be expected. The first door opened with an explosion, sending him reeling in a wave of heat. An alarm blared, assaulting his already ringing ears as he entered and began taking out combatants. Fire and rubble created a dangerous minefield across the floor, waiting to trip him up. Another explosion rocked the place, bigger than the first. Harley's head whipped around as he looked for the source.

"What the hell was that?"

" _Not sure,"_ Petra replied, " _I'm going to find the source. Meet up with me when you can. And watch out. There are a few more open cell blocks now, thanks to that explosion."_

"Fantastic," Harley muttered.

He swept through the prison, eliminating more escapees. Why the Awoken had created this facility in the first place, he had no idea. When he finally caught up with Petra, she was stabbing a Fallen Vandal in the head. Pulling out the knife, she grinned at him.

"I love fieldwork... Unfortunately, the blast took out security on the lower deck. I'll check on the prisoners, but we need security back online. Think you two can manage that?"

" _Sure thing!"_ said Cayde, " _Alright, kid. I'm taking the high ground. You go low."_

"Works for me." Harley left the room, instantly encountering a wide hallway full of enemies and open cells. "Here goes nothing…"

He summoned his Arc Staff and began cutting them down. Over the comms, he could hear Cayde cheering and making triumphant remarks. At one point, he saw the other Hunter summon his Golden Gun and take out a group of adversaries as he taunted them. With both of them working to clear the way, it seemed to take no time at all before they were closing in on the security hub.

"We're nearly there, Petra."

" _Copy that. Everything's gone dark down here, so I'm stuck taking the long way to supermax."_

Cayde jumped down, landing on a Cabal that Harley had been about to shoot. The sight would have been funny had they not been precariously balanced on an edge. An edge that the Cabal was stumbling toward. Harley's heart caught in his throat as they toppled backward. He lunged forward but was too slow. For one dreadful moment, he thought that he had failed and Cayde had died. Then Cayde emerged again, dangling below a Shank. Harley nearly collapsed in relief.

"Meet ya at the security hub!" said Cayde.

Harley watched him fly off, calling out directions to the Shank and shook his head. He'd gotten lucky this time but he couldn't afford to be caught off-guard again.

Securing the hub was easy. He had to clear some Hive stuff that was jamming the systems, but after that, the security system was booted up in a matter of minutes. Cayde proceeded to take command of the prison's turrets, using them to kill the enemies in Harley's path to the security terminal.

" _You two get the security system back online yet?"_ asked Petra, " _I've hit a locked door."_

Harley extended a hand, summoning Prism. His Ghost flew to the terminal. "I'll have it up in a moment," she said. There was a short pause.

" _Yes!"_ said Petra, " _It's back online. I'm accessing the lower levels now. Just checking on a couple of things, and then we can call it a day."_

 _"Looks like we're all done and dusted here,"_ said Cayde, _"Ramen's on me."_

Harley wanted to agree, but his sense of unease hadn't left him. Was that it? Had he thwarted Cayde's death? Somehow, he didn't think so. There had to be an added wrinkle somewhere.

" _Looking pretty good down here,"_ said Petra, " _Just gotta check one last thing…"_ There was another pause. " _No no no no. Cayde - he's gone. This isn't a prison riot, it's a prison_ break _. The airlock on Deck Zero! It's the only way out this far down. They're going to escape!"_

Harley had no idea who or what she was talking about, but from the tone of her voice, it was very bad news.

 _"Not if I get there first,"_ said Cayde.

Harley noted the determination in his voice. He moved to the edge where the wall of the room had been ripped away and looked at the security hub, suspended as it was over the hollow center of the prison. A closer look told him that Cayde was climbing the outside of it. Harley's heart jumped into his throat.

"What are you doing?!"

Cayde chuckled. _"Wait and see."_

"Cayde, whatever you're doing, wait for me!"

 _"Sorry, kiddo. We gotta stop this now or thing's'll surely go to hell."_ Drawing his gun, he shot at the support holding up the security hub.

"Wait!"

But Cayde continued to fire until the chamber emptied. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with an ominous creak, the structure gave way, plummeting straight down into the depths of the prison and vanishing from sight. From miles below came the sound of a distant explosion and all of a sudden Harley felt the floor drop away. Then darkness.

He wasn't sure how much time he lost. The next thing he knew, Prism was shining a beam at him. He got to his feet with a groan, taking in the rubble around him.

"What happened?"

"We fell twenty stories down," said Prism worriedly, "I can't reach Cayde or Petra."

"We'd better get down there, then," said Harley. He set off at once, not wanting to lose any more time.

As they made their way deeper into the prison, it became clear that the enemies contained within it weren't limited to the garden variety adversaries Harley was used to fighting. The lower cells contained a nightmarish breed of mutated Fallen that had his skin crawling. He fought through what felt like endless numbers of them as he descended.

He was navigating an air duct, trying his best not to make too much noise, when a blinding light flashed, burning his eyes. As it hit him, he felt something deep within him suddenly torn away, leaving a gaping hole that bled Light. The sensation was so acute that he examined his chest instinctively for any sign of damage, but found nothing.

"Prism? What was that?"

" _No!"_ exclaimed Prism, " _That was Sundance! She's dead…"_

A cold feeling settled inside of him. If Sundance was lost, Cayde's next death would be his last. They had to find him. He slid out of the duct and sprinted through the remaining levels, throwing himself at the enemies without caution. Finally, he encountered a hulking thing that was in the process of breaking down a door. He had a horrible feeling that he knew what was on the other side. He dispatched the creature as fast as possible and burst into the room at top speed.

He'd only been in the room with Osiris for a few minutes, yet in that span of time, the image of the room had been burned into his brain. The second he stepped through the door, he knew he was out of time. The future was happening. At the other end, he saw a figure standing with its back to him, cloaked and hooded like a Hunter. Cayde lay on the floor between himself and the other person. Tearing his gaze away from the fallen Hunter, he looked back to the cloaked figure. The figure turned and Harley felt his world flip over. Uldren Sov. The Queen's brother. The man who had been presumed dead after vanishing in the Battle of Saturn. The man Harley had spent weeks searching for. Even if the prince wasn't supposed to be dead, what was he doing in the Prison of Elders? Why was he with Cayde? Was he trying to help? No, that couldn't be it. Because Uldren was holding the Ace of Spades. The gun that, as Harley had learned, had been named after himself. The gun that Cayde had custom-built by Banshee-44. There was only one of its kind in the Sol System and it was there in Uldren Sov's hand. What was he doing with Cayde's gun?

Uldren chuckled. "He didn't feel a thing."

It took Harley a moment to connect the dots. _Uldren_ had killed Cayde. _Uldren_ had pulled the trigger. _Uldren_ had stood over Cayde and ended his life with a bullet from Cayde's own gun. Harley cried out in rage and raised his own gun, intending to put a bullet between Uldren's eyes. But before he could shoot, a door closed between them. He took a half-step towards it but knew it would be sealed. He'd deal with Uldren later. Cayde came first.

He hurried to the Hunter Vanguard's side and knelt next to him, letting his gun fall to the floor. Cayde looked up at him. The Hunter Vanguard's face was smashed up on one side and one of his eyes was flickering.

"Hey, kiddo."

His voice was strained, with more of a mechanical undertone than usual. His chest rose and fell quickly with ragged, shallow breaths. Harley pressed a trembling hand to his mouth, fighting back a sob. Next to him, Prism flashed into existence, scanning over the gaping hole in Cayde's chest.

"Oh no…" she said.

"Prism…" Harley's voice cracked. "Tell me there's something you can do… _Anything_ ," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry," said Prism softly, looking between him and Cayde, "I'm so sorry. There's nothing I can do..."

Harley looked at Cayde. "It was one thing. Just _one thing_ and I failed! I couldn't… I was supposed to save you." It came out as a whisper.

"What a story that would've been," said Cayde with a smile. He coughed. "Listen, kid."

Harley averted his eyes. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could make the tears stop. Maybe he could make everything stop. A hand lightly grasped his chin, turning his face back towards Cayde's. Harley's eyes fixed on the floor.

"Kid."

Cayde moved his hand from Harley's chin to the side of his face. Harley closed his eyes, leaning into Cayde's hand.

" _Ace."_ He opened his eyes, finally looking at Cayde. "This is important," said Cayde, "You gotta know… This...this ain't on you. Knew this was comin' eventually. Just didn't-" He coughed again. "Didn't think it'd happen quite…so soon." He chuckled weakly, but they soon turned into coughs. "Listen… Tell Zav and Ikora somethin' for me...Tell 'em the Vanguard...is the best bet...I ever lost… And promise…" He reached up with his other hand, cupping Harley's face. "You gotta promise me… Don't blame yourself...for this."

Harley just nodded as the tears continued to fall. Cayde's breathing was becoming increasingly labored as he let his hands fall away.

"'S a fact...of life kid… When your time's up...it's up… See you starside… Ace…"

His movements stilled and his eyes, still locked on Harley's own, dimmed.

"No!" Harley grabbed his shoulders and shook him, even though he knew it wouldn't change anything. "NO!"

A wave of pain and anger ripped through him, expelling outward in a fiery shockwave. He gave another sob and buried his face in the other Hunter's chest, clinging to him as though it would bring him back.

That was how Petra found them when she ran in a few minutes later, her rapid footsteps coming to a halt somewhere behind Harley. He didn't turn around.

"No…" she said, her voice small. Her breathing was loud, filling the small room.

Harley flinched when her hand touched his shoulder. He looked up at her. Petra studied his tearstained face and a look of understanding entered her eyes.

"He...meant a lot to you, didn't he?" Harley nodded wordlessly. Petra sighed, bowing her head. "He should be brought back to the City… I can-"

"No," he cut her off, "This is something I should do alone."

She nodded and stepped back, leaving him to gather Cayde's body in his arms. The Hunter seemed too light, as though death had stolen his substance as well as his spark. Harley turned to leave, but paused, meeting Petra's eyes.

"I'll be back."

She read the promise in his gaze and nodded. "I'll be ready."

With that, Harley stepped past her, beginning the somber journey back to the Tower.


	2. Rogue Operation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the Tower, Jade learns about Cayde's death and Bazzle is dispatched under orders to stop Harley from enacting revenge.

Jade had spent the better part of her night planning out what she needed to get done the following day. She was well-accustomed to her job as a training instructor now, but during her first batch of Lightbearer students, she had met a young man named Elijah Joviac. He had demonstrated strong Warlock traits throughout his training, leading her to recommend him for the Warlock exam. When the time came to take the exam, he'd passed with flying colors, progressing into the next part of training where he'd chosen to follow the path of the Voidwalker. Jade later found out from another instructor that Elijah had done well in his Void-specific training. However, she'd had her own doubts.

While training him, Jade had discovered instability in his Light. Upon mentioning it to Bazzle, she had learned that Guardians with those types of anomalies were at increased risk of falling to the Darkness. This had only made her more determined to set him on the right path and for a while, she thought she'd succeeded.

But sometime after Elijah became a full-fledged Guardian, she had stumbled across an essay of his on the topic of Dredgen Yor and Hive apocrypha. Nothing had been overtly wrong with it, but something about it had made her feel uneasy. And Jade had learned to trust her instincts. Since then, she'd spoken to the resident Voidwalker instructor, Letta, about him, probing for anything that had seemed odd. The other Warlock had mentioned a few instances but while Jade felt increasingly worried, Letta seemed to think nothing of it. After all, Warlocks had a reputation for being strange at times.

Elijah was out of training now. By all accounts, he wasn't under Jade's jurisdiction. But she still felt responsible for him. That was why she made the decision to bring her concerns to Bazzle. She'd gotten up earlier than usual in hopes of catching him before training. The Titan always rose much earlier and spent time going over the training agenda in his office.

As she walked through the Tower, she mentally rehearsed how she would broach the topic to him. Suddenly, she paused, becoming aware of her surroundings. There was a great deal more people around than was normal for that time of day. She looked around in confusion. What could have happened to bring so many Guardians out of the field? She made eye contact with her Ghost, ever-present at Jade's side.

"Something's off Delta. Their Light feels muted…"

The rest of the thought was lost when she spotted the broad shoulders of Bazzle Torelli ahead of her. She increased her pace to catch up with him, everything she'd planned to say forgotten.

"Bazzle!" The Titan turned, weariness dragging at his features. "What happened?" she asked, "Why is everyone…" She wasn't sure how to finish her question. Luckily, Bazzle caught the gist of it.

He sighed heavily. "There was...an incident. It seems that Cayde left the Tower yesterday to assist Petra Venj with a situation in the Prison of Elders." Catching Jade's questioning look, he clarified. "The Prison of Elders is where the Awoken keep their enemies. There are many dangerous adversaries inside. Cayde flew out there to put an end to a riot... Hayden was with him."

"Harley? But he was supposed to be in the Infinite Forest on Mercury... He said he'd contact us when he got out."

"I won't speculate on why he left the Forest. Regardless, he and Cayde entered the prison, but the riot turned out to be a diversion for a prison break."

"A prison break for who?"

"Extremely dangerous enemies kept in maximum security holdings."

"What kind of enemies?"

"I'm sorry, Wrythal, but information about this event will be kept on a need-to-know basis until we can assess it and respond effectively. There's no telling how dangerous they may prove to us... Cayde was killed facing them down."

The Tower seemed to tilt under Jade's feet. "Cayde was _killed_?" The idea was impossible to her.

Bazzle nodded solemnly.

" _How?"_

"Sundance was destroyed." He sighed. "I'm not supposed to divulge this information, but the fatal blow itself was delivered by Uldren Sov."

Jade pressed her hands to her temples, trying to make sense of the situation. "Uldren Sov the Awoken Prince? I thought he was killed in the Battle of Saturn! How is he alive? How was he able to get close enough to kill Sundance?"

"He was presumed dead until last night, though some of the Awoken were clearly aware of his survival. As for Sundance…we don't know that it was Uldren who killed her. Sundance could have been killed by another entity before Cayde's confrontation with Uldren. The only reason we have this much information to begin with is Hayden's doing. He's the one who returned Cayde's body to the Tower."

Jade swallowed. Her insides felt all torn up. How horrible it must have been for Harley.

"...Where is he?" she asked.

"Gone," said Bazzle, "He left for the Reef as soon as he could."

"Why didn't he… He could have stopped by the Chaser quarters. We could have helped him!"

"I won't pretend to know what is going through Hayden's mind right now..." He paused, glancing at his interface. "Apologies, Wrythal, but I must report to the Vanguard." He turned.

"Wait," said Jade.

"Yes?"

"Why do you think Harley went back to the Reef? You have a theory, right?"

Bazzle hesitated. "...As I said, we can't know for sure. But I do know that he took Cayde's cloak before he left." He nodded at her. "I will see you later. Training has been canceled for today." With that, he strode off.

Jade turned back the way she'd come, feeling lost. The Vanguard had always seemed so untouchable. How could one of them be gone? She didn't even want to think about how Zavala and Ikora must be feeling. She walked back to the quarters almost in a daze. No one was around, so her teammates must still be asleep. She pondered what Bazzle had said. Why would Harley take Cayde's cloak? There had to be some kind of reason behind it. It occurred to her that Fyr might know. After all, he was a Hunter himself. She decided to ask him.

The inside of his room was still darkened. She turned on the light. "Fyr?" After a short pause, she heard him groan. The covers shifted to cover his face. " _Fyr_." She pulled them back.

Fyr threw an arm over his eyes. "Why are you like this?" he mumbled.

"I need to ask you something."

"Whyyy?"

"It's important. Do you know why a Hunter would take another Hunter's cloak?"

"Hmm."

Jade waited, but no further response came. She poked his arm. "Fyr."

"Ugh ok fine... Hunter cloaks... Might be like a trophy?"

That wasn't it. "Isn't there another reason? What if it was a Hunter that the other one knew and respected?"

"Oh, friends? Um, sometimes it's a promise... Taking the cloak is like saying they're gonna avenge the other Hunter. Or maybe finish something the other one started."

"That has to be it," said Jade, "Thanks, Fyr."

"Mmh..." He flapped his hand at her. "Turn off the light."

Jade left his room, turning the light off and closing the door. Now she had a better idea of what was going on. Cayde had died and Harley had taken his cloak as a promise to finish something. But what? Would he recapture the escaped prisoners? There was no way to be sure of his intentions. Jade sat on the couch in the common area, thinking. She was still in the same spot when Bazzle walked through the door ten minutes later.

Jade got up. "Any news?" she asked. The Titan met her eyes, nodding. His expression was grave. "What is it?"

"What I am about to tell you is privileged," he said, "No one outside of the Chasers can be told about this. I'm only telling you because I think it's something that you and the team deserve to know."

Jade nodded. "I understand." She wondered what the Vanguard had wanted from him.

"The prisoners that escaped from the Prison of Elders are a twisted version of the Fallen. The Scorn. All eight Scorned Barons are now loose on the Reef... We believe that Hayden left to hunt down and kill these Barons, along with Uldren Sov."

Jade nodded. That followed with what she knew. She also knew that they couldn't let Harley face the Barons alone. "We have to help him."

Bazzle shook his head. "The Reef is off-limits. The Vanguard has no jurisdiction out there. They're expressly forbidding Guardians from interfering. We can't afford to get dragged into another war. Not now."

"But what about Harley?"

"Hayden's actions are being considered a rogue operation. He was told in no uncertain terms not to pursue Uldren Sov. Yet he did so regardless."

"I don't understand," said Jade, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Nothing. Continue business as usual. The circumstances around Cayde's death are to be kept confidential. Commander Zavala doesn't want any more Guardians going to the Reef to hunt Uldren... Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pack."

"What? Why?"

"I have been tasked with bringing Hayden in. It's not something I would choose to do, but it must be done... The Vanguard is bringing in another instructor as a temporary replacement for me while I deal with this."

He made his way to his room, leaving Jade nonplussed. She didn't understand how Bazzle could seem so blasé about the whole thing. He was being sent out to track down and stop one of his friends. She also didn't understand how the Vanguard could let the Barons tear up the Reef uninterrupted.

"What do I do, Delta?" she asked.

"I don't know if there's much you _can_ do," replied her Ghost, "Bazzle has his orders and you have yours."

"But how can he follow them? Harley's _one of us_. Are you telling me he's absolutely fine with this?"

"Of course not. He's loyal to his friends. But he's also a soldier. When his superiors give him orders, he follows them... There's a reason Zavala made him a Deputy Commander, you know."

"But Harley-"

"Jade." Delta's tone was firm in a way that it rarely ever was. "I want you to use your head. I know how you feel about Harley and I know that losing Cayde was a sore blow to everyone, but think about it. The Awoken have always been their own civilization. They've never been very close to the City. Mara Sov may have opened the Vestian Outpost to Guardians, but the majority of the Reefborn dislike outsiders... Guardians especially. How do you think they'll react to one dropping out of nowhere and wreaking havoc?"

"I know they won't like it," said Jade, "But what about the Scorned Barons? Are you telling me that the Awoken are fine with leaving them to destroy the Reef?"

"Of course not. But if we want to provide aid, it needs to go through the proper channels. The Vanguard could have communicated with the Reef and gotten permission to send a Guardian strike team... One lone Guardian tearing through Awoken territory after the Barons won't look good, no matter the spin you put on it."

"I suppose..."

"Or think about it this way... The Barons aren't the only ones Harley's after. He's chasing Uldren Sov too. If you were a Reefborn Awoken - assuming you're not privy to what Uldren has done - how would _you_ react if a Guardian killed your prince? Mara Sov's brother?"

"...You have a point."

"Situations like this are why the Vanguard only operates with all of the facts. Unfortunately, since Harley already left, they won't be able to get out ahead of it this time. All they can do is try to stop him and brace for impact."

"You're good with this stuff," said Jade in surprise.

"I had to do _something_ while I was searching for you," Delta said lightly, "I spent a lot of time in the Vanguard's command center."

They sat in silence, both thinking over all that they had learned. When Bazzle's door opened again, Jade stood up. The Titan had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He crossed over to her.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be gone," he said, "I also cannot promise that I'll be able to keep consistent contact... Hopefully, my replacement will do an adequate job in my stead. If not, I'm sure you will see to it that they are corrected." He turned toward the door then paused. "I will do my best to get through to him."

Jade nodded. "I know. Good luck, Bazzle."

Bazzle nodded back. "Goodbye, Wrythal."

She watched as the Titan walked out of the Chaser quarters, closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been some time since the last story. I hope everyone's doing ok considering the whole outbreak situation. As for story things, I'll be uploading a chapter every other day (kudos/comments appreciated). I also have my idea for the next story ready to go so I'll probably start writing that soon.
> 
> For any new readers: Welcome! All of my Chasing Fate (and related) stories are uploaded to the series I created, so feel free to follow that for updates. If anyone wants to borrow my characters for their stories, I'm almost always ok with it, provided that you contact me first.
> 
> For progress updates and art, you can follow me on Twitter/Tumblr. For just art, Instagram. (All under ArcaneGlitch).
> 
> If you want to join my discord server, the invite code is 4zguh53. We have a bunch of artists, writers, and betas. We also have a lot of people who play Destiny.
> 
> Finally, I'm thinking of making an FAQ so if there are any questions you have or that you think would be helpful for other readers to know, send them my way!


	3. Stolen Crown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazzle enlists Kaedro's help on his mission and the two fly to the Reef to begin their search for Harley.

Kaedro was standing atop a small rocky hill in the European Dead Zone when Bazzle's ship came into view. With a mighty roar, it swept over the landscape toward him. As soon as it came within range, Jyn transmatted him on board. Bazzle, seated in the pilot seat, looked over his shoulder and nodded a greeting before angling the ship towards the open air.

Kaedro waited until they had left the atmosphere to say anything. "So let me get this straight… The Vanguard sent you on a mission with the sole purpose of wrangling Ace, and you decided to bring me with you?"

"Yes," said Bazzle. His head turned minutely. "I suppose I should ask you if you believe you can carry out this mission."

"...You think I have conflicting loyalties."

"I need to know that you can put the mission in front of your status as a Hunter."

Kaedro considered it. Bazzle was right. He had conflicting loyalties for sure. On one hand, he respected the Vanguard and understood Zavala's reasoning for wanting Harley out of the Reef. On the other hand, it was _Cayde_. He couldn't just stand by and let his friend's killers get away with further atrocities. He looked at Bazzle. The Titan's face was dead serious. Kaedro knew that if Bazzle seriously doubted his ability to work the mission, then he would be kicked off of it faster than he could say "Shaxx's Redjacks." He also knew that if it hadn't been for Bazzle's call, he would be blackout drunk right now. He had to do _something_ , whether it was drinking or go on a mission. And he knew that going on a mission was the more productive - and healthier - option. He sighed.

"I'm in," he said, "Zavala's right. Despite how much I want to see Uldren pay, we can't afford to go to war with the Reef." He side-eyed his friend. "I'm also agreeing based on the assumption that we're not going to shoot or forcibly abduct him."

"We will do what is necessary. Nothing more or less," said Bazzle, "Hayden will see sense."

Kaedro wasn't sure he agreed, but he didn't say anything more about it. "Where are we going?"

"The Vestian Outpost," answered the Titan, "It's the only known Reef territory friendly to Guardians. From there, I hope to find a lead on where Hayden went."

Kaedro nodded. It made sense. "How long is the trip?"

"About six hours. We'll have to make a few course corrections."

Kaedro nodded again, watching as Bazzle programmed the course into the navigation system. It was going to be a long flight.

They spent the journey in silence. There wasn't tension between them, at least, not any that Kaedro could think of. He figured they both had other things to think about. He personally was wrapped up in thoughts of the old Hunter crew. Cayde, Andal, Shiro, Tevis. He remembered fighting alongside Cayde and Andal in the Battle of Twilight Gap. After roaming solo for so long during the Dark Age, becoming close with other Hunters was different. But in a good way. The downside, of course, was that losing those people became that much harder. So many of his friends had died. Out of that specific group, only Shiro remained. He wondered how the other Exo was taking the news. Most likely as bad as he was taking it himself. Kaedro decided that once he finished this business in the Reef, he'd pay Shiro a visit. See how the other Hunter was holding up. He felt the ship decelerate and sat up straighter in his seat. They were nearing the Outpost.

Kaedro peered out of the viewscreen. The docks looked empty. Not that there had been many people the last time he'd been, but still. Bazzle brought the ship in, landing it with practiced ease. Kaedro felt the transmat take hold and in a flash, he was outside of the ship. His sensors immediately picked up on the change in the atmosphere. The air in the Reef was much thinner than that of the planets and moons. Being an Exo, he felt the compulsion to breathe, but it wasn't necessary for his survival. He could breathe the Reef air just as well as Earth's air. Had he been human, he would definitely feel the effects. On that note, he turned to look at Bazzle as the Titan strode forward. Bazzle gave no sign that the air quality bothered him, but Kaedro had known him for a while and knew how easily he could conceal things like that. The Exo resolved to watch him.

They passed through the hangar out into the greater area and still, there was no sign of another person. A bad feeling gnawed at Kaedro's circuits. It was far too quiet and deserted, even for the Awoken. His training screamed that something wasn't right.

That was when they found the bodies. Corsairs, the lot of them. Likely the ones that had been stationed here. Electing not to look longer than necessary, Kaedro moved toward a great door that swung loose on its hinges. Beyond was the devastated throne room of Mara Sov. It looked as though an inferno had torn through the room, sparing nothing. Near the door, he saw the charred remains of a company of Awoken.

He knelt next to the foremost one, summoning Jyn with a twist of his hand. She scanned over the body.

"One of the Queen's Paladins," she said.

"Do you know what happened to them?" asked Kaedro.

"All I know is that she was killed before the fire started. They all were. Fallen weapons. Precision shots."

Kaedro nodded and stood up, looking over to where Bazzle stood next to a blackened console. "What is it?" he asked.

The Titan turned around. "Sway found something on the security feeds…"

Kaedro walked over as Sway projected onto the wall in front of them. He saw the Queen's Guard arrayed in front of the door to the throne room, weapons drawn. A voice called through the door.

_"Paladin Dinna? You know that's my throne you're guarding, don't you? May I come in?"_

Kaedro's optics narrowed. It was Uldren Sov.

 _"You're not alone!"_ the Paladin called back.

Uldren chuckled. _"I have my retinue with me."_

A few members of the Guard lowered their weapons but Dinna snapped at them to raise them again. _"Weapons up! We can't trust him to-"_

The throne room doors opened to a cacophony of flashbang grenades. Uldren sauntered in, his gun aimed at the ceiling. Kaedro's jaw clenched. It was the Ace of Spades. Seeing his old friend's gun in the hands of the man who'd killed him was so completely wrong that he had to take a moment to calm down.

 _"At ease,"_ said Uldren.

The Guard obeyed, lowering their weapons. At that moment, they were lost. Kaedro saw the Arc-rifle charge and fire. As the Queen's Guard fell around him, Uldren's face remained an impassive mask.

"Stop the recording," said Kaedro. Bazzle shot him a questioning look. "We know how it ends."

He walked away, not wanting to remain in that throne room for one moment longer. He heard Bazzle behind him and took a quick unneeded breath to refocus. They needed to concentrate on the mission.

"So much for getting a lead from the Outpost," he said flatly.

"Yes," agreed Bazzle, a frown in his voice, "We'll have to look elsewhere for Hayden's location."

"Maybe not," said Jyn, "I've been scanning the Awoken's networks and it looks like there's been a surge in hostile activity localized in the Tangled Shore."

"How'd you find that out?" asked Kaedro.

"Spark used to spend a lot of time in the Reef," his Ghost explained, "He gave me the frequency codes."

"Sounds like a lead to me," said Kaedro, "Let's get out of here."

As they made their way back to the ship, Kaedro thought about what they'd seen. He'd never met or spoken to Uldren in person, so he had no reference by which to judge the Prince's character. But from what he saw on the security feed, Uldren seemed not to care about anyone. At least, not anymore. He vaguely remembered Harley saying something about Uldren's devotion to his sister, the Queen. But now she was gone and it seemed that Uldren was willing to throw away the lives of his subjects without a care in the world.

Once again, he found himself questioning the mission. While Harley's actions could potentially culminate in war with the Reef, could they really leave the Awoken people to suffer at the hands of Uldren and his savage pseudo-Fallen cohorts? He knew those were his orders, yet he had trouble reconciling them with what he felt was right.

That was always the trouble with Hunters. They were bound to their instincts. After all, what were orders in the face of the frontier? Still, he had to try. He'd told Bazzle that he would. He decided it was best to put sticky questions of moral obligation aside for the moment and concentrate solely on the task at hand.

"What can you find about the Tangled Shore?" he asked after they transmatted back into the ship.

" _I've just some excerpts from a text about it,"_ his Ghost replied, " _It's a rather grim read... The Shore seems to be made up of lashed-together asteroids and it isn't exactly what you'd call civilized. Most, if not all of the Awoken have relocated away from it... Don't expect any backup."_

Her description was far from comforting. Kaedro didn't have very much experience with the Reef. His previous visits had always been to the Vestian Outpost, as that had been the only area open to Guardians. It sounded like he could expect the Tangled Shore to be just as hostile as any other area the Guardians patrolled, if not more so. The bright side was that there was less likely to be collateral damage among the Awoken. He sighed.

"Guess we'd better get going. Ace already has a good-sized head start on us."

Bazzle nodded and set the course. As Kaedro watched the Outpost shrink away behind them, he wondered - not for the last time - whether he had made the right choice.


	4. These Lawless Lands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazzle and Kaedro venture into the desolate wilds of the Tangled Shore, the edge of civilization. What will they find there, old friends or new foes? Only time will tell.

Bazzle landed with a muffled thump, a small dust cloud arising from where his feet impacted the ground. He looked around warily. The land was dull and barren - a patchwork of rocky asteroids stretching out in a large plain. On the horizon, he could make out a tower shrouded in purple fog. Its spire gleamed faintly in the muted sunlight supplied by the gravitational lens constructed to magnify the Sun's light. But even with the magnification, the sky was dim and cold. The environment felt oppressive. Unfriendly. He glanced at Kaedro.

The Exo appeared to be looking around with the same unease, reinforcing the wariness in his mind. The wind whistled over the deserted terrain; a ghastly moan that unhinged the mind and sent hairs rising on the back of his neck. Bazzle took a deep breath, filling his lungs as best he could with the thin Reef air. Next to him, Kaedro knelt down to examine the ground.

"Any tracks've been obliterated," he said, standing once more.

He brought out his Ghost, who expanded her shell briefly before closing it and vanishing again. Bazzle heard her speak over the comms.

" _I picked up traces of an old signal... They definitely came this way. I can't be certain, but their trajectory indicated that they were moving toward that ridge."_

Kaedro shot him a look. "Guess we'd better get moving." Bazzle nodded and they started walking. "What do you think we'll find here?" the Exo asked.

"Hayden, if we're fortunate." Kaedro looked at him, pointedly remaining silent. Bazzle sighed. "I don't want to assume anything about this place," he said finally, "For all we know, your Ghost's information is wrong and there _is_ Awoken habitation here."

" _I wouldn't think so,"_ said Jyn reproachfully, " _Look at this place. What_ doesn't _scream "lawless frontier full of hostiles" to you?"_

She had a point. What they could see so far resembled a wasteland, like one of Earth's deserts. Still, that didn't mean that it would be the same everywhere else. The Shore was a big place after all.

"Here's a question, Baz. Why aren't we using Sparrows? Seems like a lotta distance between us and that ridge."

"We could," replied Bazzle, "But we would draw a lot of attention to ourselves and we don't know who...or what is watching."

"...Good point."

They walked on in silence, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. But over the course of the trek, they encountered nothing. No living things stirred on the plain.

"...Is it bad that I'd really like to see a Dreg right about now?" said Kaedro, "This place is boring... The ominous kind."

"Hmm," said the Titan, "We may not be as alone as we think." He gestured ahead to a small collection of tents.

"Finally."

Kaedro hurried forward before Bazzle could caution him against it, vanishing behind a tent. Bazzle quickened his pace to catch up. Rounding the tent, he found Kaedro staring at the crumpled remains of several Fallen scattered around the campsite.

"Well, I take back what I said before..."

"I assume this was a Fallen camp?" asked Bazzle. The Exo nodded. "What do you think killed them?"

Kaedro knelt next to one of the bodies. "Doesn't look like Fallen weapons or whatever those Barons had... I'd say it was a Guardian."

Bazzle nodded. That was what he'd expected to hear. "Hayden was here. We just need to determine where he went."

Kaedro pushed at a Dreg with his boot. "You could ask these guys but I don't think they're gonna say much."

Bazzle frowned. He'd known Kaedro long enough to know that when the Exo started cracking stupid jokes, it meant something was bothering him. In this case, Bazzle didn't have to reach very far for the answer. Kaedro had known Cayde for at least as long as he'd known Bazzle. There was no telling what kind of toll his death would take. Add that to the fact that Kaedro was on a mission to find and stop his friend from avenging Cayde, and Bazzle could see where the Exo's emotions were coming from.

He wondered again if he had made the right decision in asking Kaedro to come with him. He could have handled this mission alone. But Kaedro was doing well so far and Bazzle didn't want to send him away because of his own concerns. The Exo would stay until either the mission was complete or he became a liability. Bazzle was snapped out of his thoughts by Kaedro calling him over. As he approached, he saw a Fallen terminal next to a rock.

"What is that for?" he asked.

Kaedro shrugged. "No idea but it looks important. I'll have Jyn hack it."

Jyn materialized in front of them and started working to gain access.

"That's odd," she said, "There's a Ghost signature here. Someone's already hacked it."

"My money's on Prism," said Kaedro.

"I think that's the safest bet you've made in your entire life," said Jyn dryly.

With a flicker, a large section of the rock wall behind the terminal vanished to reveal a doorway.

"My work here is done," said Jyn, phasing once more.

"Look at that," said Kaedro, "Nothing's _less_ suspicious than a hidden tunnel."

"Indeed."

Upon entering the tunnel, they encountered piles of supplies. Crates and canisters were stacked along the walls. Progressing along the passageway led them to find several more supply caches.

"This is definitely a Fallen tunnel," said Kaedro, "Probably for smuggling."

Further along the tunnel was another Fallen terminal. Jyn used it to reveal a second hidden entrance leading into another branch of the tunnel. The Guardians passed through, looking around. The space was considerably larger than the previous tunnel and was open at two ends. A number of alien bodies were scattered around, some of them on ledges above them. Kaedro leaped over to examine one.

"Son of a Dredgen! It's like a Fallen with the ugly meter dialed up to 1000... Jyn, what are these things?"

Jyn appeared to scan the body. " _They're some kind of mutated Fallen,"_ she reported.

Bazzle's jaw tightened. "Scorn."

"Scorn? What are Scorn?" asked Kaedro.

"They were locked in the Prison of Elders. They must have escaped with their Barons."

" _Light_ … So those Barons aren't regular Fallen either." Bazzle shook his head. "What do we know about them?"

"Less than the Vanguard are comfortable with, I'm afraid... Aside from our main objective, we should use this opportunity to gather more intelligence on them."

He walked through the battle zone, following the curve out onto another wide plain. While it wasn't nearly as vast as their landing zone, it was still large in its own right. He made his way over to a circle of twisted rocks. The broken and burned out body of a Servitor lay in the middle, ringed by more dead Scorn.

"What the hell happened here?" asked Kaedro.

Bazzle called Sway out to investigate. She scanned the Servitor.

"It would appear the Scorn have completely drained this Servitor."

Kaedro frowned. "These 'Scorn' seem pretty far from Fallen to me... Guessing Ace took 'em out."

Bazzle nodded. Most Fallen displayed reverence for Servitors. Seeing the Scorn - who used to be Fallen - destroy one was unsettling.

"More Scorn this way," said Kaedro.

Bazzle looked up to see the Hunter heading away from the tunnel. He followed. As the Exo had said, there seemed to be a collection of Scorn bodies scattered in a vague trail toward the opposite side of the plain. They came to a door that led into another tunnel. This one was much wider than the first and showed more signs of use. It wound down into the rock, eventually ending with two doorways, one of which was blocked off. They approached the other one and found a shaft in the middle of the floor. Kaedro peered down.

"Looks like a gravlift." He glanced over his shoulder at Bazzle. "After you."

Bazzle stepped forward, letting himself drop into the hole. Instantly, he felt a beam catch him, slowing his descent. He stepped out onto a large platform. They were now on a lower level of the asteroids. The area was well-lit to combat the permanent shade. He heard Kaedro land behind him as he moved away from the gravlift. The remains of a Fallen Walker sat some distance away.

"Think the Scorn are fighting with the Fallen?" asked Kaedro, "Or do you think it's a Scorn Walker?"

"I'm not sure," said Bazzle, "Given what we've seen so far, it could be either of the two."

"At least we've got another nice body trail laid out for us."

Bazzle nodded.

They followed the signs of battle, meandering around the area. In several places, they saw fires burning. The buildings and equipment all screamed of Fallen occupation, a fact that Kaedro commented on.

"We sure that the Shore's Awoken territory? Looks pretty Fallen to me."

"The Awoken were allied with the Fallen in the past. They assimilated the House of Wolves around the time of Twilight Gap."

"I remember the Gap. Nasty battle…"

Bazzle nodded. "As I was saying, it's entirely possible that both Fallen and Awoken once occupied this area."

"I suppose. Doesn't look like anyone lives here anymore though."

Bazzle had to agree. The buildings were silent. The only beings left there were themselves and the dead.

"That's...a lot of bodies," said Kaedro suddenly.

Bazzle followed his gaze toward a section of buildings. The Exo was right. More Scorn bodies were piled there than anywhere else. A large battle had obviously taken place, though it had long since concluded.

"Do you know which direction Hayden took?" he asked.

Kaedro shook his head. "'Fraid not, Baz. This looks like the last of the battle sites… Jyn, you pick up anything?"

" _A few more hints of Prism's signal. Clustered around that building."_

"Jyn says this way," Kaedro told Bazzle.

Bazzle followed him over to an entrance that was tucked away in a dark corner. Yet another tunnel led downward. Kaedro sighed. Bazzle started walking down the stairs. The passageway took a few turns before finally letting out into a room that was more spacious than Bazzle had expected. Sitting on an elevated chair at the opposite side of the room was an enormous Fallen flanked by two guards. The guards carried electric spears and sported a collection of green quills that protruded from their backs. They hissed as the Guardians entered. The big Fallen leaned forward, eyes glittering.

"Well, now what do we have here?" it said in a gravelly voice, "I didn't know my Shore was so popular among you Guardians..."

Bazzle raised his eyebrows. The Fallen's English, while slightly accented, was perfectly fluent.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You come into my house uninvited with your weapons drawn when you don't even know who I am? Ha! ...Guardians, always so impolite."

Bazzle sighed and stored his gun away, though not without regret. He took off his helmet. In this situation, it seemed they were better off playing nice.

"My name is Bazzle Torelli and this is Kaedro-22... We're Guardians of the Last City."

The Fallen chuckled. "I knew that part... You may refer to me as 'the Spider.'"

"You said 'your Shore,' said Kaedro, stepping forward, "What did you mean by that?"

"I say my Shore because it _is_ my Shore, little Guardian. At least until Petra Venj lost it. Now, degenerates from the Prison of Elders continue to wash up and make things...difficult."

At last, they were getting somewhere. Bazzle was interested that this 'Spider' seemed to know Petra Venj.

"When did you last see Petra Venj?" he asked.

"...It's possible that I saw her a cycle or two ago," said the Spider, "The company she keeps is...interesting."

Kaedro's gaze focused on the Spider. "Company? Was it another Guardian?"

"It was. And dressed like you, no less. What is the significance of that, I wonder?"

"What did they want from you?" asked Bazzle.

"The location of Uldren and his Barons. Of course, I couldn't just give that information away without anything in return... Your friend has been helping me clean up the Shore."

"So you know where Uldren and the Barons are?" asked Kaedro.

"I do."

"Then where are they?"

The Spider chuckled. "Why would I tell you that?"

"'Cause you don't want them here either."

"True... but something for nothing is not how business is run. And I happen to be a businessman."

"Where are Petra and the other Guardian now?" asked Bazzle.

Spider shrugged. "How should I know? Petra's business is her own... Our mutual friend is preoccupied with hunting down those Barons. I could tell you where they are, for a price. One of your Ghosts, perhaps?"

Bazzle's eyes lit upon a dead Ghost in the Spider's hands. He was manipulating its segments, almost like a toy. Fighting back the wave of revulsion the sight brought, the Titan made eye contact with the Spider.

"You allowed our...mutual friend to work for you in exchange for the Barons' locations. Why not offer us the same deal?"

The Spider heaved a sigh. "I'm afraid business is business, my friend. And my price has gone up. Petra Venj and our mutual friend both know the location you seek. What is your Earth saying? 'Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead'... But since you can't find either of them to tell you where it is, I can still sell it to you."

"We're not giving away our Ghosts," said Kaedro.

The Spider shrugged. "Que sera, sera... Good luck with your little search."

Recognizing a dismissal when he heard one, Bazzle turned and started walking back through the passageway, Kaedro behind him.

"We should've just forced him to tell us," the Exo muttered angrily.

"That would have only brought more trouble," said Bazzle, "I don't think we want the Spider as an enemy. It is better to remain on neutral ground with him. He may yet be useful."

"As an ally?" said Kaedro doubtfully, "I don't think the Vanguard would like that much."

"As a source of information. He certainly seems to have enough of it."

"Doesn't mean he's willing to share." Kaedro sighed. "So what do we do now?"

"We conduct our own search for Hayden. The best course of action would be for one of us to search the Shore while the other stays here in case he or Petra returns to visit the Spider."

Kaedro nodded grudgingly. "That could work. You wanna stay or go?"

"You should go. You are much more practiced at tracking than I am."

Kaedro chuckled. "I know. Just wanted to hear you say it."

"I will contact you over the comms if either Hayden or Petra shows up here," said Bazzle.

"Alright... If I find him, I'll let you know."

With that, the two Guardians parted ways. The trail was cold no longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to everyone leaving kudos/comments! I appreciate you :)


	5. Dark Deeds and Darker Bullets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley sets his sights on the Rifleman but encounters unforeseen complications when he pursues his target.

Harley climbed the tower wordlessly, his breathing a bit louder than usual in the thin air. Not that he needed to focus, he knew the route to the top. But talking would invite Prism to talk as well and that was something he wanted to avoid. He knew she was worried about him, about how he hadn't stopped for more than a few hours at a time after the prison break. About how uncompromising he was when it came to finding the Barons. If his Ghost started sharing her concerns, he was worried he'd lose her support in tracking them and that was something he couldn't afford right now. The hunt waited for no one.

Reaching the top of the tower, he found an opening looking out over Soriks' Cut - its range of view ideal for a sniper. He examined the Fallen rifle that was propped on a box. They were getting close.

He didn't know how many cycles it had been. What he _did_ know was that four of the Barons were dead. The Trickster, the Rider, the Mad Bomber, and the Hangman. He'd ceased measuring the time when he'd arrived on the Shore. All he knew was his next target. And right now, his next target was the Rifleman. His vendetta was more personal with some Barons than others. This was one of them. The Rifleman had fired the shot that killed Sundance and Harley would make him pay for it.

" _Harley…"_ Prism's worried voice tugged at his thoughts, " _We need to talk."_ He shook his head. All that mattered was the hunt. " _Well, then I'll talk and you can listen,"_ she said stubbornly.

He felt a brief moment of softness in his chest. He loved his Ghost. But this wasn't the time for uncertainty.

" _Harley, you know I want them dead as much as you do. But you need to rest. You haven't slept in-"_

"Guardians don't need sleep, Prism."

" _...Maybe not as much. But sleep deprivation will take its toll... Your focus will lapse and your reaction time will slow. Think about what that will mean for combat."_

"I'll just have to finish this before that happens."

" _That's not wise."_

"Maybe not, but that's what's going to happen."

Prism might be stubborn, but so was he. They were two of a kind and he knew that she knew it too. She sighed.

" _Very well. Just be careful. If the Rifleman can hit and kill a Ghost in one shot, I shudder to think what else he's capable of."_

Harley nodded. Suddenly, a deep voice spoke over an open comms channel, grating on his ears.

" _Ah… Target practice."_

Harley's lips pressed into a line, but he didn't rise to the Rifleman's words. One thing was clear - the Rifleman knew that they were there. He peered out of the opening, scanning the terrain of Soriks' Cut. It didn't take him long to spot the enormous figure of the Rifleman atop some kind of large pipe. At the moment, the Baron was busy fighting with the Cabal on the ground.

Harley pulled out the bow that Petra had given him before he'd started hunting the Barons. It had been an unconventional weapon for him to get used to, but now he was as comfortable with it as he was with Paradox. And this fight was going to be one of distance.

He drew back the bow, aiming at the distant figure, and released an arrow. He saw it hit the Rifleman's shoulder. Nothing more than a flesh wound, if it had even managed to pierce his armor. All the same, the Rifleman vanished, teleporting to the roof of a nearby structure.

Harley drew and fired on him twice more before he dissipated into smoke, an ability of the Scorn that Harley particularly hated.

"Where's he going?" he asked shortly.

" _He's heading for the Jetsam of Saturn,"_ Prism replied.

"Got it."

Sliding through the opening, he let himself fall from the tower, catching himself with a jump before hitting the ground. He summoned his Sparrow and set off in pursuit.

He'd explored the Shore once before setting off on the hunt and the Jetsam of Saturn was perhaps his least favorite place. A Hive ship from the Dreadnaught's fleet had crashed there, spewing forth Hive and corruption. Fortunately, there were no Hive in sight when he entered the area this time.

The Rifleman was perched on top of a rock formation near the ship. He seemed to be glowing purple, reminding Harley of Void Light. Wasting no time, he sent an arrow at the Rifleman's head, causing the Baron to dissolve on impact. He paused.

"There's no way it was that easy."

As though to confirm his suspicions, the Rifleman spoke over the comms again. " _You...missed...hahaha,"_ he taunted.

Harley ignored him, hurrying over to the spot where the apparition had been. A strange disk lay on the ground where it had been. He picked it up.

" _It was a decoy!"_ said Prism, " _This must be what he used to create it. If you find any more, we should take it with us. You never know when something like that could be useful."_

Harley nodded and let her store the disk. He looked around. "He must be nearby… Could you scan for him?"

" _I could if I came out of phase... But given the current circumstances, I'd rather not."_

"Yeah." What could be more foolish than presenting his own Ghost as a target for the Rifleman?

Something flickered at the edge of his vision. He turned, looking carefully. There was a flash of purple behind a large gun on the opposite side of the path. He aimed carefully before releasing the arrow and was rewarded with a brighter flash as the decoy was killed. He jumped down from the rock and ran over to the new site, picking up the disk. He caught another flicker and turned just as a void projectile hit his arm. He took cover behind the gun, hissing in pain.

Once Prism had healed the injury, he stepped out, sighting and firing at the same moment. Another decoy vanished. As he hurried over to pick up the simulation tech, he made sure to keep looking for the next decoy. As soon as it appeared on a rock near the large gun, he took it out.

"How many more times am I going to have to do this?" he grumbled as he retrieved the disk.

He shot down another decoy.

"How long until he _shows his face?_ "

" _Want me to show my face, little Guardian? Be careful what you ask for…"_

" _I've got him!"_ said Prism, " _He's gone into that cave across from you."_

"On it."

Harley leaped down and set off. He clambered over some debris from the Hive ship and descended into a tunnel that looked like it had come right from the Dreadnaught. Still, he pressed on, ignoring the similarities as best he could.

" _King Uldren wants you dead,"_ chuckled the Rifleman, " _I bring him your body...keep your Ghost."_ He laughed again. " _Sell its shell to Spider. Hahahaha."_

Harley bristled at the Baron's words but did not slow his descent. Finally, the tunnel opened up into a large canyon filled with more greenery than he'd expected to see on the Reef.

" _...According to local information, this place is called Hellrise Canyon,"_ Prism informed him.

Across a crevasse, Harley could see Hive and Scorn battling each other. He began to pick them off with his bow.

" _There's something else,"_ said his Ghost, an odd tone in her voice, " _I'm picking up two Ghost signatures nearby."_

"What?!"

" _We're not alone down here."_

"Open a channel."

After a few moments, a familiar voice filtered through. " _Ace?"_

" _Kay?_ What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

" _I came here with Bazzle. The Vanguard sent us to stop you."_

For a moment, Harley thought the comms had malfunctioned. " _Stop_ me?"

" _The Vanguard recognizes that we cannot afford war with the Reef,"_ said Bazzle, " _You have been ordered to disengage and return to the Tower with us."_

Harley's shock at encountering his friends was swiftly turning to anger.

"Like hell!" he snapped, "You're telling me they want to just let Cayde's killers get away with it?! If Ikora could have, she would've backed me up herself!"

" _That may be, but the fact remains that she can't,"_ said Bazzle, " _...Hayden, you've been given a direct order to stand down. Will you return to the Tower with us?"_

Harley shook his head. "No way. I've come too far to let you two stop me now."

" _Ace-"_ Kaedro began.

"No! How can you do this, Kaedro? How can you just stand by and let them go with no consequences? I thought you were Cayde's friend!" The Exo didn't reply. "I'm disconnecting this channel and going after the Rifleman," said Harley, "You'd both be wise to stay out of my way."

Bazzle's tone carried a sharp note of warning. " _Hayden-"_

"Don't contact me again." He closed the channel.

" _Are you sure about this?"_ asked Prism as he stepped over the bodies of Hive and Scorn. " _Maybe they have a good reason..."_

"Not you too! Prism, can you seriously tell me that you'd be _fine_ with letting the rest of them go? They killed Cayde and they killed Sundance. What kind of message does it send if we let them continue?"

Prism sighed. " _I know. I'm still with you, Harley."_

" _Come find me, little Guardian,"_ the Rifleman jeered, " _I mount your Ghost on my wall… next to Cayde's…"_ He laughed.

Harley's blood boiled. He would sooner die before letting the Rifleman anywhere near Prism. He shot down another decoy, as well as some Scorn that were blocking the tunnel he needed to take. It twisted down through the rock, walls encrusted with Hive corruption.

He entered another open area and had to pause again to kill more Hive and Scorn. The delays irritated him. Not only were they in the way of him getting to the Rifleman, but they were also giving Kaedro and Bazzle opportunities to catch up.

Upon passing through another tunnel, he entered a vast cavern that glowed with a sickly green light. He looked around. The only way out was the same tunnel he'd come through. The Rifleman had nowhere else to run. He stepped forward and a decoy appeared. He shot it down and then shot another one that materialized on top of a pillar of rock. But as the second decoy dissolved, it revealed the actual Rifleman standing in its place.

"I seeee you…"

Wasting no time, Harley sent two arrows at him in quick succession. The Rifleman hissed in pain and vanished. More decoys popped up. Harley killed them, glancing around for the real one. Two decoys appeared right in front of him. Pulling out an arrow, he stabbed one in the chest before whirling and piercing the other's neck. The Rifleman stepped out across from him. He only had time to release one arrow before more Scorn were on him.

In the time it took to dispatch them, the Rifleman had moved and summoned more decoys. Harley did his best to avoid their Void shots as he shot at the Rifleman three more times. More Scorn came and Harley hurried backward as he knocked another arrow. He sent it into a group of Screebs, detonating them and killing the other Scorn.

Doing his best to avoid the decoys, he stalked the Rifleman across the cavern. He could tell his shots were landing. The Rifleman was slowing down, summoning more decoys. But there was something else going on. He seemed to be distracted by something, fiddling with his rifle. Whatever he was doing, it couldn't be good. Harley slid into cover behind a rock. He had a good line of sight on the Rifleman and - for the moment - he was out of the way of the decoys.

He knew he had to act before the Rifleman moved or used the sightline against him. He drew an arrow, aiming at the Rifleman's head. This was it. This would be the killing shot.

But before he could release the arrow, a voice called out across the cavern. "Ace!"

He flinched, head jerking toward the direction the voice had come from. That moment of distraction was all the time the Rifleman needed to find him. As soon as he made that aborted movement, Harley knew he'd made a mistake. He instantly regained his line of sight on the Rifleman, only to find that the Rifleman also had a line of sight on _him_. He saw the end of the Baron's barrel light up and knew that any movement he made to avoid it would come too late. But that didn't stop him from trying.

He lunged sideways and the shot connected. Instead of hitting him in the head, it pierced his lower left side. A strangled cry was torn from his lips. The bullet felt _wrong._ It was almost as if it had punctured more than just his body.

The Rifleman laughed. "Dead soon… I get your Ghost."

Harley drew himself up. The Rifleman hadn't moved. He stood in the same spot, laughing.

He was still laughing when the arrow pierced his neck, the laugh transforming into a demented gurgling sound.

Harley sent a second arrow after the first, this time penetrating the Baron's skull. The Rifleman fell to the floor, dead. A sense of bloody satisfaction took up residence in Harley's chest.

"That was for Sundance," he told the corpse.

Prism stored his bow for him and he stepped out from behind the rock, his hand pressed against his side.

Bazzle and Kaedro had moved further into the cavern. They turned from where they'd been approaching the Rifleman's body.

"Ace- wait, what's wrong?" asked Kaedro.

"Nothing. Got hit."

"You've killed the Rifleman," said Bazzle, "Will you now return to the Tower with us?"

Harley laughed humorlessly. "The Rifleman was just one of my targets... The Mindbender, the Machinist, the Fanatic, and Uldren are all still out there. And just like the other Barons, I'll make them pay."

"Hayden, think of how it will look to the Awoken if you kill Uldren Sov," said Bazzle, "Most of them are in the dark about what he's done. Most of them weren't aware that he was still alive."

"Petra knows. She agrees that he has to be ended."

"We're not saying he doesn't deserve it, kid," said Kaedro, "Far from it. But we just got out of the Red War. We can't afford conflict with the Awoken."

"So what? We're just supposed to let Uldren and the Barons continue to rampage across the Reef? If we do, we're putting the Awoken in danger! Even Zavala could see that!"

"He does," agreed Bazzle, "But he also knows that assistance must be offered and accepted through official channels. Not through a rogue Guardian seeking revenge."

Harley couldn't lie, the Titan's words stung. But he also knew that he wasn't giving up. His wound throbbed and he pressed down harder. If Prism hadn't healed it by now, then something had to be different about it. Something had to be wrong. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he passed out and he couldn't let that happen here. If he did, there was nothing to stop Bazzle and Kaedro from taking him to the Tower.

Bearing that in mind, he started moving toward the exit.

Kaedro stepped closer.

"Stay back!" he snapped.

The Exo paused, his hands raised to show that he meant no harm.

"You're hurt," he noted, "Let us help you."

Harley shook his head, the motion causing his vision to waver and dip.

"You'd just take me back to the Tower."

He continued backing toward the tunnel.

"Hayden," said Bazzel, "Surely you can see that this isn't wise. If you would only stop and consider-"

"I've considered enough! Uldren and the Barons deserve to die and no one else is stepping up, so it's on me to give them what they deserve."

He was almost home free.

Kaedro stepped toward him again.

"Kaedro, I'm warning you. Back off!"

"...Hayden, you should know that we are authorized to use any force necessary to stop you."

"Is that a threat, Bazzle?"

"No. It's simply a warning."

"Well, thanks but no thanks... You can try if you want, but I'm not giving up."

His next step landed on a rock, causing him to stumble. Kaedro lunged forward.

"No!" Harley shouted, throwing out a hand to stop him.

Heat surged through his body, pulsating outward in a fiery shockwave. Bazzle and Kaedro were thrown off their feet. Taking the advantage, Harley scrambled through the tunnel. Once he was back in the open, he pulled a spare grenade from his belt and jammed it into the rocks, hurrying backward.

The explosion sent a large portion of the rock tumbling down to fill the tunnel opening. Harley turned away and began walking as fast as he could manage, his hand still clamped over his wound.

"How long do you think that'll hold them?" he asked.

His Ghost's reply sounded worried. " _No more than half an hour."_

He nodded, pressing on in silence.

About halfway up the second tunnel, he felt his adrenaline begin to dissipate. His wound grew more painful with each step. By the time he'd reached the final stretch of the canyon, he was losing energy at a rapid pace.

"Prism...what's wrong...with the wound?"

" _I'm scanning it now… Traveler's Light! He shot you with a Devourer Bullet! Those are_ deadly _to Guardians."_

Harley gave up on speaking aloud. It was tiring him out even more.

" _Devourer Bullet?"_

_"The kind used for Weapons of Sorrow. Like Thorn."_

_"Oh."_

Harley was familiar with the story of Dredgen Yor. His showdown with Shin Malphur on Dwindler's Ridge was legendary, especially among Hunters.

" _How did the Rifleman get a Devourer Bullet?"_ he asked.

" _No idea. But I'm pretty sure he had more than one. He must have modified the bullets to be fired from his gun."_

The thought that the Rifleman had been able to get his hands on Devourer Bullets troubled Harley deeply. It wasn't as if Weapons of Sorrow were common in the Sol System. Far from it. But he couldn't give it too much thought at the moment. He had to concentrate on putting distance between himself and the other Chasers.

He stumbled out onto the surface and summoned his Sparrow, clambering into the seat while maintaining pressure on his wound. The rumble of the engine as he sped off jolted his injury, causing him to clench his teeth.

He soon lost all sense of where he was, flying across the bleak terrain of the Shore. The sunlight shining through the gravitational lens seemed too bright, boring into his eyes no matter where he looked. The landscape around him looked more washed out than normal, dipping and wavering in a way that had nothing to do with the motion of his Sparrow. The droning of the vehicle filled his ears, obliterating all other sounds.

All of a sudden, a large mass loomed up out of nowhere, sending him flying off of the Sparrow with a cry. He lay on the ground, groaning and clutching his wound. He felt a stickiness under his fingers and looked downward. A black substance was oozing from the wound, wrapping around his hand. He watched in horrified fascination as strands of it crawled up his arm. Was this how he would die his final death? Succumbing to his wound in the corner of the solar system on a cluster of Light-forsaken asteroids?

A crunch echoed through his head, followed by another. Footsteps. He'd been wrong. The Scorn were going to get him before the Devourer Bullet did.

Slowly, painfully, he dragged his gaze up away from his wound. A figure stood in front of him, the magnified light of the distant Sun rendering it a dark silhouette. Creatures leaped from the figure's shadow, creatures made of pure night. They slunk toward him as the figure watched. He could feel his consciousness untethering from his body. Darkness encroached on his vision. Right before he passed out, he thought he heard a voice.


	6. Ghosts of Times Gone By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tangled Shore is a place where allies are scarce and heroes are scarcer. Unfortunately, it's also a place where both are needed the most.

Harley woke slowly to find that his head and side were throbbing painfully. When he first attempted to open his eyes, a blinding light assaulted his vision so he shut them again. But he could tell the air around him was warmer than the winds that ghosted across the asteroids. Aside from his wound and his pounding head, he was surprised to feel...comfortable.

He must be inside, though he wasn't sure where "inside" was given that - if his memory was accurate - he'd passed out in the middle of nowhere. The air smelled slightly musty and metallic. Was he on a ship? Was it possible that Prism had managed to transmat him back to the Star?

A set of footsteps crossed the room, drawing near. He flinched instinctively. He couldn't know if the person was hostile. Reason told him that if they were, they wouldn't have bothered saving him from the countless aliens that roamed the Shore. But one could never be certain.

"You awake?" a voice asked.

Harley stiffened. His mind was telling him that he'd heard the voice before. He felt a flood of different emotions upon hearing it. Pain and anger were the most prominent. Yet, oddly enough, there were hints of positive emotions as well. He forced his eyes open, ignoring how the light made them water and squinted at the vague shape he could make out.

They were on the taller side, whoever they were. They also seemed nervous, fidgeting with their hands a lot. Finally, his eyes cooperated and the figure came into focus.

It was Kyler Maddox.

In a flash, he was off of the bed, flinging himself at the other man and propelling him into the opposite wall. He pulled out a knife, pressing it into Kyler's neck. Kyler remained completely still, eyes flitting between Harley's eyes and the blade against his throat.

"Give me one reason," hissed Harley, " _One_ reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

Kyler dropped his gaze as he searched for an answer. His head bowed slightly in defeat.

"I don't have one."

Harley blinked in shock. That wasn't at all what he'd expected to hear. He stared into the mechanic's face, looking for any sign that he was lying. He frowned. Had Kyler always had two noses? Suddenly, the adrenaline that had gotten him up drained away. His legs buckled but Kyler caught him before he could hit the floor.

"Whoa."

He guided Harley back over to the bed and sat him down. Harley frowned again. Why was Kyler helping him?

"Is it too late to change my reason to 'you'll pass out if you try to kill me right now?'" the mechanic joked nervously.

Harley's head was swimming as he tried to sort out what was going on. Kyler was in the Reef and for whatever reason, he'd decided to help Harley. Harley looked around, taking stock of his surroundings properly for the first time.

He was in a small cabin. It had only one room filled with the basic necessities of living. A large gun leaned against the wall next to the door and a long overcoat was hung on a hook nearby. His armor and Cayde's cloak lay in a pile next to the bed. The top half of his undersuit had been pulled down so that it hung around his waist. White bandages were wrapped around his midsection, bloodstained in one area. He turned his scrutinizing gaze onto the mechanic.

Kyler looked much the same as he had before the Red War, though his hair was a little longer and his face more world-weary. A scar cut through his left eyebrow, a near miss to his eye. Judging by the shade of the skin around it, it had happened some time ago. The mechanic's clothes were dusty and well-worn, suited to the harsh environment of the Shore. Kyler gestured to the knife Harley still clutched.

"I thought I got them all. Guess I should've expected you'd have one hidden somewhere."

Harley scowled. He felt like he was missing something and he didn't like it.

"Why'd you help me?"

"Well, leaving you to die in the middle of nowhere seemed like a bit of a dick move."

Harley scoffed. "Wouldn't have been the first time."

A hurt look flashed across Kyler's face but then he sighed. "...I deserved that one."

Harley glared at him. "You deserve a lot more than that. You _shot_ me. You lured me out into the City and you shot me. And I really thought…" He trailed off.

"You thought what?" asked Kyler curiously.

I really thought we were going somewhere, Harley finished in his head.

Out loud, he said, "It doesn't matter. But I think I'm owed an explanation. And it better be damn good."

Kyler sighed again. "You're right," he said, "You _do_ deserve an explanation. But I'm going to warn you now; you won't like it."

Harley crossed his arms, waiting. Kyler drew a breath and began his tale.

He talked about Dalton, his adopted father, and how he had died when a group of rogue Taken that Harley's team had been tracking breached the wall near River District. How Kyler, furious with Harley, had made a deal with the Underlord - the nefarious leader of an underground criminal organization in the City itself. The Underlord had helped get Kyler into the Tower, on the condition that he killed Harley. But Kyler had let his feelings get in the way, messing everything up.

Harley learned how Kyler had received his last warning from the Underlord on the day after his birthday, ordering him to kill Harley or pay with his own life. Kyler told him about the plan he'd come up with - a way to buy enough time to escape the City without having to carry out the Underlord's orders. Once his route was clear, Kyler had gotten out of the City with Gavin's help and fled to the Reef, where he used the rest of his savings to buy the cabin.

"That's about the long and short of it… Next thing I know, I'm out collecting parts and who else do I stumble upon but you?"

Harley turned to look at Prism, who had appeared halfway through Kyler's story.

"How could you know and not tell me?" he demanded, "How could you let me continue to think that Kyler had betrayed me? Do you know how much _pain_ that caused me? I used to lie awake at night wondering what I'd done wrong..."

"I asked her not to tell you," Kyler intervened, "I didn't want to put you even more on the Underlord's radar than you already were. Prism was acting on my wishes. Don't blame her. It's my fault."

"...I _am_ sorry, Harley," said Prism in a small voice, "It was eating me up inside that I couldn't tell you... I could have stopped the pain and I didn't."

Harley sighed. "It's okay, Prism... You were just doing what you thought was best."

"I'm sorry too," said Kyler, "I should have told you what was going on. I was just so scared of what Fyster would do. You never deserved to be put through that and it's on me."

Harley nodded slowly. "...I don't think I can forgive you yet," he said, "But I'll work on it."

"I don't deserve it," said Kyler, "But thank you…"

His eyes darted downward and he nodded at Harley's chest. "I didn't think you'd actually keep it."

Harley glanced down at the fishhook necklace that Kyler had given him years ago.

"Neither did I. I still don't know why I kept it." He took it off, holding it out. "Here."

Kyler shook his head. "It was a gift. I guess I'd hoped that by leaving it, I was making up for everything else, in some small way." He laughed humorlessly. "It probably just made things worse for you, if I'm being honest… If you really don't want it, I'll take it back, but a gift's a gift."

Harley hesitated for a long moment before putting the necklace back on. His hands went to the bandage around his torso. Kyler started to protest.

"I wouldn't-"

Harley lifted the bandage. Instead of the jagged bullet hole he'd been expecting, he found a line of stitches. The skin around the wound bore some discoloration, but it wasn't oozing black stuff, which led him to think that he must have imagined that part.

"So what did you do?"

Kyler seemed relieved to be off of the heavy subjects.

"Well, I don't know what hit you but it wasn't like anything I've seen before. I dug the bullet out while you were unconscious. Sort of thought I should've cauterized but I was worried the burn would be too severe. So I used a bunch of disinfectants and then stitched it up. You actually woke up once, but you were pretty out of it. You said something about prison and then something else about bullets before passing out again."

Harley's brows furrowed. He didn't remember any of that.

"Thanks…"

Kyler shrugged. "I figured I owed you one. Well, more than one… I should probably take another look at it now."

He stepped forward and Harley flinched. Kyler froze.

"Sorry."

Harley shook his head. "Even if I can accept your reasons for...for doing what you did, it won't change what happened. It'll take some time to reconcile everything..."

Kyler nodded and Harley could tell he was trying not to show the hurt he felt. Harley pulled up the bandage himself. Kyler looked it over, making sure to move slowly and keeping his hands in plain sight. When he was satisfied, he stepped back.

"It looks a lot better than it did a few hours ago… Why couldn't Prism heal it?"

"It was a Devourer Bullet," the Ghost explained, "An ontological projectile that was modified to be fired from a Scorn weapon."

"Devourer Bullet?"

"Mostly used in Weapons of Sorrow. Guardian killers."

Kyler shivered. "I didn't know there was anything that could kill Guardians without killing the Ghost first."

"A long time ago when the City was still pretty new, there was a Titan who put Hive chitin on his weapon," said Harley, "Eventually, he fell to the Darkness and his gun became known as Thorn. It fired Devourer Bullets... He killed other Guardians with it and would've kept killing if he hadn't been stopped by a Hunter named Shin Malphur."

Prism bobbed in agreement. "Dredgen Yor," she said, "Thorn was the first recorded Weapon of Sorrow."

"But if it was that long ago, how are these 'Devourer Bullets' still around?"

"Dredgen Yor developed a following," answered Prism, "Other Guardians who took the title 'Dredgen' and attempted to follow his path. No one's heard from them in a while, but it's a safe bet that they're still around."

"Do you think that's who the Rifleman got the bullet from?" asked Harley.

"I suppose anything could be possible at this point."

Kyler blanched. "You fought the _Rifleman_?"

Harley nodded. "How do you know about the Scorned Barons?" he asked curiously.

Kyler scoffed. "Everyone who lives on the Shore knows about them... What I _don't_ know is what they're up to."

"Most of them seem to just be wreaking havoc," said Prism.

Kyler nodded. "The usual then."

"If you're familiar with the Shore, does that mean you know who the Spider is?" asked Harley.

Kyler made a face. "Hard _not_ to know the Spider... Wait. You're not doing _business_ with him, are you?"

Harley nodded. "I'm helping him out in exchange for the Barons' locations."

Kyler frowned. "You should steer clear of him. He's bad news."

Harley didn't think it was any business of Kyler's if he was helping the Spider.

"Well, his Fallen backed me up against the Scorn and he's probably the only other Fallen I've met who doesn't actively want to kill me," he said, a bit defensively, "Have you actually met him?"

Kyler shook his head vehemently. "He does business with the Underlord. Meeting with him would mean broadcasting my location to the Underlord's men. I didn't come all the way out here for the scenery, you know."

"You really think he'd sell you out to the Underlord?"

"Of course he would! They're business partners. Either he'd sell me out or he'd blackmail me into working for _him_ instead."

"For all we know, the Underlord might think you died in the Red War."

"Maybe, but I'm not taking any unnecessary risks. It's hard enough living out on the Reef as a non-Awoken. I have to go around covered up all the time in case I'm seen."

"Why?"

"They don't like outsiders here. Granted, most of them have left the Shore, but you can never be too careful."

Harley rather thought that Kyler's life on the run had turned him paranoid. He told him so.

"Only the paranoid survive," Kyler retorted.

Harley sighed. He supposed that was true enough. Particularly if you were a non-Guardian living in the Tangled Shore.

"So what made you decide to start hunting the Scorned Barons?" asked Kyler, "'Cause I'm guessing you're not doing it for fun."

Harley drew a breath before replying.

"Cayde and I went to the Prison of Elders to stop a riot. But the riot turned out to be a prison break for the Barons and Uldren… Cayde went off to stop them on his own and the Rifleman shot Sundance." His gaze was downcast. "I couldn't get down there fast to stop Uldren from shooting him."

"Shit," said Kyler, "I liked Cayde. He was always friendly to me... For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Harley nodded wordlessly. "So taking out the Barons…"

"It's personal. Not a mission."

"Makes sense."

"The Vanguard doesn't want me hunting them because they think I'll ruin the City's relationship with the Reef... They sent Bazzle and Kaedro after me to bring me back to the Tower."

Kyler whistled. "Sounds like one hell of a situation."

"Yeah." He looked to Prism. "How long do you think this will take to heal?"

She spun her segments, looking worried. "I can't say for certain. Ontological wounds like that always take longer. I can speed up the process, but not as much as usual."

Harley fought the frustration that rose inside of him. He couldn't afford to be sitting around with Bazzle and Kaedro looking for him and Uldren and the rest of the Barons still at large. Not to mention the fact that the Tangled Shore was not the ideal place to rest and recover.

"You can stay here until you're better," Kyler offered, "...Unless you had other plans."

Harley briefly entertained the idea of staying onboard the Star but decided against it. The cabin was just as cramped, but at least he could go outside.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it… You should probably get some more sleep."

"I can't take over your bed," Harley protested.

Kyler shook his head. "You look like you're about to collapse. And I have other things I need to do, so I won't be back for a while."

"Alright. As long as you're sure."

Kyler nodded, then glanced down and frowned. "You probably shouldn't sleep with a knife in your hand."

Harley let him take it. Truthfully, he'd forgotten that he was holding it.

"Thanks again."

Kyler nodded again, moving about the cabin as he got his stuff together. Harley watched as he put on the overcoat and a cowl, pulling it up over his nose. Then he lowered a pair of dark-tinted goggles over his eyes. He looked back at Harley.

"I'll see you later."

With that, he left the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you were wondering if you'd see Kyler again?


	7. Bridges of Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley pushes himself to recover faster so he can find the next Baron, all while dealing with conflicting emotions from seeing Kyler again.

Harley couldn't lie. There was a part of him that didn't fully relax until the door had closed behind Kyler. He felt a little bad about it, but there wasn't much that could be done. After all, the last time he'd seen Kyler, the mechanic _had_ killed him. It took much longer to repair trust than it did to break it.

He sighed and settled back onto the bed, but he couldn't quiet his mind. He'd never expected to see Kyler again, so it would definitely take some time for him to accept the fact that - for better or worse - the mechanic was back in his life.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Prism.

Harley side-eyed her. "Thought you were supposed to be able to read my mind."

"Contrary to your beliefs, I can't hear what you're thinking _all_ of the time. If you direct your thoughts at me, I can. Otherwise, your thoughts are your own."

"Hmm... Well, what _isn't_ there to think about? Kyler's back and apparently _didn't_ betray me after all, I got shot with a Devourer Bullet that the Rifleman just had lying around, Uldren's alive, Cayde's dead, and two of my friends are hell-bent on dragging me back to the Tower on the Vanguard's orders!"

"Well, when you put it that way, it _is_ a bit much… But you did leave something out."

"What."

"Are we going to ignore the fact that you used _Solar Light_ back in the Rifleman's lair?"

Harley frowned. "I figured that was a one-time thing. Heat of the moment and all that. Literally."

"Try harnessing the Light again."

Harley closed his eyes and reached for the Light but encountered a barrier. He tried to find his way around it with no success. Every time he thought he was getting close, the Light slipped away. Finally, he opened his eyes again, letting out the breath he'd been holding.

"I can't do it, Prism... I think it's the Devourer Bullet. I'll have to wait until the wound is fully healed."

Prism's eye narrowed and she swept her beam over him. "That's odd. I can't read your Light."

"What do you mean?"

"Ghosts are usually able to tell what types of Light their Guardians are suited for. Yours was Arc but you also had a high percentage of Solar. Do you remember the aftermath of the Red War?"

Harley nodded, grimacing. When the Traveler had awoken and the Light had returned, the Guardian populations had spent a few weeks suffering from Light sickness. It had different effects depending on which type - or types - of Light a Guardian possessed.

"So you're saying you can't detect my Light like you did back then?"

"No." His Ghost sounded troubled. "It's like something is blocking it."

"Might be the Devourer Bullet. They're supposed to drain Light, aren't they?"

"Yes, that's what they're supposed to do... You could be right. I guess the only thing we can do is wait for it to heal and go from there."

"I don't like this," Harley grumbled, "Being forced to sit here while the Barons get up to who knows what... I hate it."

"I know," said Prism sympathetically, "But until that wound heals, you're going to have to put up with it… Now, I don't know about you, but I'm going to power down for a bit. I was using my Light to speed the healing process while you were unconscious."

Harley traced his hand over the bedspread, thinking about how best to reply. In the end, he decided on a simple, "Thank you."

Prism was silent. He turned his head and saw her lying on the bed next to him, asleep. A small smile crossed his face before he readjusted his position. His Ghost was right. Nothing else could happen until he was healed.

Kyler sighed as he rode across the empty land of the Shore on a Fallen pike, kicking up dust in his wake. Not for the first time, he questioned the wisdom of saving Harley. Guardians never came to the Shore. It was just his luck that when one did, it was the one that hated his guts. Which, he reminded himself, was deserved. After all, their last meeting had been unequivocally awful, and much more so for Harley than for himself. But he knew that the Hunter definitely would have died if Kyler had left him out there, whether from bleeding out, exposure, or the Scorn finding him. And while death was just a speed bump where Guardians were concerned, it was better to be safe than sorry. Kyler had acted on his instincts and, judging by what Prism had said about Devourer Bullets, he had done the right thing. Would she have been able to revive Harley despite the bullet draining his Light? It was possible, but now they wouldn't have to find out.

And strangely enough, in the face of it all, there was a part of him that was stupidly happy. As much as he tried to keep his thoughts realistic, he couldn't help but wonder if this was the universe giving them another chance. Was it possible that Harley could come to forgive him? Could they be together again? Pick up where they left off? It was too much to hope for and Kyler knew it, but he couldn't stop himself.

When he could finally see the cabin, he slowed down, approaching at half his original speed. He parked the pike in a small shed behind it, taking care to lock it up before striding over to the cabin, opening the door. Harley was fast asleep on the bed with Prism next to him. Kyler smiled, glad the Hunter was actually resting. He stepped inside and closed the door. Almost instantly, Harley was on his feet, eyes alert. Kyler raised his hands instinctively, even though he saw Harley wasn't holding a weapon. He pushed his goggles up onto his forehead and lowered his cowl.

"It's just me," he said, keeping his voice light.

The alarm drained out of Harley's posture, but some tension remained. The Hunter winced, a hand going automatically to his side as he sat back down. Prism, having been jostled awake, blinked at them.

"Did you sleep well?" Kyler asked, taking off his coat.

Harley ignored the question. "What time is it?"

Kyler shrugged. "About an hour till sunset, give or take."

"I should go now then. While there's still light."

Kyler frowned. "Go? What do you mean?"

"I can't sit around. Uldren and the Barons need to pay."

Kyler didn't like that and he liked the dark tone of Harley's voice even less. He sounded bitter, hateful. Kyler knew he couldn't stop him from leaving, even if he wanted to. Harley was injured, but he was still a Guardian. And even then, Kyler had no right to keep him there and he knew it. Luckily for him, Prism set things straight.

"You're not going anywhere," she said firmly, "What did we just agree?"

Harley sighed. "I know, but-"

"No. We're not going anywhere until you're well. It shouldn't be _that_ long, Harley. You can manage. Besides, you need the locations of the remaining Barons. Who's to say Bazzle and Kaedro aren't waiting for you to visit the Spider again?"

The Hunter frowned. Clearly, he hadn't thought of that. Harley didn't say anything out loud, but he and Prism were locked in an intense staring contest for several moments. Finally, he dropped his gaze, staring at the wall. Kyler said nothing for a few moments, but when it seemed that neither of them would break the silence, he stepped up.

"I might be able to help you find the other Barons," he said.

Harley's eyes locked onto him and he was briefly lost in their depths. He'd missed the way the Hunter's eyes would dance in amusement, like leaves buffeted by a breeze. Now, though, they seemed darker. Colder.

"What do you mean?" Harley asked.

"I've been living here for a while now. I've made some connections... Some Fallen who might be able to help."

Harley's brow furrowed. "Fallen other than Spider?" Kyler nodded. "What makes you think they'll know where the Barons are hiding out?"

"The Fallen have been living on the Shore longer than most. When the Barons got here, the news traveled quickly."

Harley considered it for a moment before nodding. "Alright," he said grudgingly, "We can talk to your Fallen." He looked at Prism. "Will I be well enough to go tomorrow?"

"I suppose," she said, not sounding pleased, "I'll try healing you some more tonight and again in the morning. No action. We'll meet up with Kyler's contact, get some information, and come back here. You need at least one more day of rest."

Harley sighed. "Fine." He looked at Kyler. "We'll leave in the morning."

That night, they had a small dinner consisting of the food Kyler had bought at the last market. It wasn't as good as City food, but Harley seemed to appreciate not having to eat ration packs. Kyler explained that even with such limited civilization as there was on the Shore, you could still get enough to get by if you knew where to look and had something to trade. After the meal, Kyler made Harley use the bed while he made up a makeshift one on the floor for himself.

As quiet darkness settled over the cabin, Kyler thought back to a time when they would sleep in the same bed. He remembered the night of his birthday, falling asleep with Harley on the couch. How he wished he could go back in time and stop the events that had followed. But you couldn't change the past. Instead, he drifted to sleep with the memories of a better time, when the world was a little less complicated.

The next morning, they rose with the sun. After eating breakfast, Kyler watched as Prism ran a healing beam over Harley. The Hunter prodded at his side.

"It feels better," he said.

"That's good," replied his Ghost, "But don't try anything strenuous."

"I won't."

He put his arms through the sleeves of his undersuit and zipped it up before moving on to his armor. While he did that, Kyler got ready himself, lacing up his boots, shrugging on his overcoat, and grabbing his rifle from beside the door. When both were ready, Harley followed Kyler out to the shed where he retrieved his pike.

"We can take this," he said, "It can carry us both."

"You don't have to do that," said Harley, "I have my Sparrow."

"Oh."

Kyler's spirits fell slightly, which had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the fact that he'd been thinking of Harley's arms around his waist as they rode. He mentally berated himself for having the thought in the first place.

"Actually," said Prism, "Your Sparrow is still damaged from when you crashed into the rock."

Harley frowned in confusion. "I crashed into a rock?"

"You did."

"...I can fix it for you later," Kyler offered, "It's the least I can do."

"Thanks," said Harley, "I guess we can take the pike for now."

Kyler nodded, glad that his goggles and cowl kept Harley from seeing the smile on his face. He got onto the pike, powering it up. Harley slid onto the seat behind him. After a brief pause, Kyler felt the Hunter's arms cautiously encircle his waist.

"Ready?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Yep."

He started the pike and they sped off.

Harley was having a hard time sorting out what he was feeling. There were so many mixed emotions bouncing around inside his chest. He still felt wary about Kyler, but he was also grateful to the mechanic for saving his life. He was very conscious of his hold on the mechanic as the pike tore over the Shore's terrain. Hopefully, Kyler wouldn't read into it too much.

Once, there had been something between them. Something that had grown scarily fast. But Kyler had broken that bond when he'd shot Harley that day in River District. Perhaps it could be rebuilt and they could be friends again, but Harley knew himself well enough to know that they could never again be what they were.

"So how do you know this Fallen?" he asked, shouting over the noise of the pike.

"I've done business with him before," Kyler yelled back, "I fix things up in return for Glimmer or trades."

"How long?"

"As soon as I got the cabin, I had to figure out how to make a living out here. Wasn't easy."

They passed the rest of the trip in silence, dismounting the pike in an unfamiliar part of the Shore. As Kyler led Harley into a passageway that descended into the ground, he couldn't help but glance back.

"Are you sure it's safe to leave that there?" he asked.

"'Course," said Kyler, "I know the neighborhood, so to speak... As trustworthy as you can get in a place like the Shore."

When the passageway finally opened up, Harley blinked in surprise. They stood at the entrance of a large club. To the left was a long bar with several patrons sitting at it. The shelves behind it were full of bottles, some familiar, some strange. A four-armed Fallen was bartending.

The middle of the room was left empty, a dance floor. A DJ booth was in the back, but no one was using it at the moment. One corner held a few antiquated gaming tables while the rest of the space was taken up with tables and booths. As Harley scanned the room, he was able to see that although most of the occupants were Fallen, there were also several Awoken. Kyler nudged him and nodded toward a booth at the back.

"That's where he usually meets for business deals."

Harley frowned. Kyler had taken off his cowl and goggles, leaving his face unobscured.

"Why aren't you covering your face?"

"Don't need to. I've been here a few times before. People know me... C'mon."

Harley followed the mechanic as he wove through the room. He didn't show it, but he felt as nervous as a cat. When they reached the booth, Harley saw a Fallen Captain reclining on one side, a drink in one of his hands. His frame was easily twice the size of Harley's, which did nothing to soothe his nerves. The Captain seemed oblivious to their presence, sipping his drink. Harley was almost glad he didn't notice them and was about to suggest that they should leave when Kyler addressed the Fallen.


	8. Uncivilized Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyler and Harley meet with Kyler's Fallen contact for information on the remaining Scorned Barons.

"Vel, Yyrrhiks," Kyler greeted.

The Captain turned to regard them. "Vel, Kyleriks. You come for business?"

Kyler shook his head. "Nama…"

Harley's eyes widened in surprise as the mechanic launched into an explanation in rapid Eliksni. He couldn't make out what was said, but he saw Kyler gesture to him a few times while he spoke.

When he fell silent, the Captain laughed a low grating chuckle. "I see." He looked at Harley. "Velask... I am Yyrrhiks."

Harley glanced at Kyler. "Velask is their formal greeting," said the mechanic in an undertone, "Kind of like saying 'pleased to meet you.'"

"Oh." He looked back at Yyrhiks. "Velask, Yyrhiks... My name is Harley."

Yyrrhiks chuckled again. "Neta, Har-lee. Er yur. Yuzen Lo Variisis."

Harley turned his confused gaze on Kyler, who laughed. "He says he knows who you are. Apparently, you're pretty well-known among the Eliksni on the Shore."

Yyrrhiks nodded. "Eia. Har-lee Lo Variisis. Har-lee shanhus Fikrul ma Uldrenkel."

Harley couldn't understand any better than before, but he got the gist of some of it.

"What did he call me?" he asked.

"Lo Variisis," said Kyler, "It loosely translates to 'Unyielding Hunter.'"

The Captain's eyes glittered. "I forget Har-lee does not speak Eliksni way. I speak Guardian way instead?"

Kyler gave a small chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Harley, somewhat defensively.

"Nothing, really. It's just kinda funny that Guardians can't speak the Fallen language, given that you guys spend so much time fighting them."

Yyrrhiks gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit. Join Yyrhiks." Kyler and Harley sat down. "What brings you here?" the Fallen asked, "Why come? Not business."

"No, not really… You said you already knew who Harley was and what he's doing."

Yyrrhiks nodded. "Eia. Har-lee seek-fight Scorn Barons."

Harley nodded. He was still wary of Yyrrhiks, but there wasn't much he could do aside from wait for the Captain to help or refuse.

"There's a problem," Kyler continued, "He's getting intel from Spider. Or he was. He can't go back now, but he needs the locations of the rest of the Barons." He looked at Harley. "Which ones are left?"

"The Mindbender, the Machinist, the Fanatic, and Uldren."

Yyrhiks growled. "I know these. Hiraks. Elykris. Fikrul. Many-danger three."

"Do you know where I can find them?"

"Eia. I tell you. But only one. If come back alive, next one."

Yyrrhiks laughed then, as though he'd just told an excellent joke. Kyler chuckled a bit.

Harley sighed. "I suppose that works… Why are you helping me though?"

"The Scorn ruined this Shore," Yyrrhiks hissed, "Houseless, no-honor thieves and murderers. They deserve to be hunted like sloat."

He added a few more words in Eliksni that Harley couldn't understand, but knew to be insulting from the look on Kyler's face. Yyrrhiks leaned closer, his four eyes boring into Harley's.

"You find Mindbender, Hiraks, in the Jetsam."

Harley grimaced. He was not a fan of that particular area. Yyrrhiks noticed his expression.

"You also hate this place, yes? It be also with Eliksni. Evil. Hateful… Sha, lo. Daszen ki."

Harley nodded. "Thanks for the location." He stood up. "We should probably get going. I'll be after the Mindbender tomorrow and I have the feeling that Prism will want me to get some more rest first."

Kyler nodded in agreement, standing up. Yyrrhiks rose as well and clasped forearms with Kyler.

"Thank you for your help," said Kyler.

"Yes, thank you," said Harley.

He was surprised when Yyrrhiks clasped his forearm as well.

"Friend of Kyleriks is friend of Yyrhiks. Good-hunt, Har-lee. Bring honor to your House."

Harley nodded. "I will."

With that, he and Kyler took their leave.

Harley waited until they were back at the pike before he spoke. "...So how the hell are you able to speak Fallen?"

Kyler gave a small cough, looking sheepish. "It was...an option in the school I went to. I kept it up long enough that I'm fluent. My time on the Shore has been a really good refresher, too."

Harley couldn't deny that he was impressed. As Kyler had pointed out, most _Guardians_ didn't bother to learn the Fallen language. For a civilian to do it...well, it was admirable to say the least.

As they rode back to the cabin, both remained silent, deep in thought. Harley thought about the Mindbender. He'd gotten a short briefing on the various Barons from Spider before he'd started hunting them. Apparently, the Mindbender's name came from his penchant for manipulation. The only other concrete thing that Harley knew about him was that he was obsessed with the Hive. He supposed that was the reason for the Mindbender choosing the Jetsam of Saturn as a place to settle.

When they got back to the cabin, Harley stood facing the sun, or what little of its light was magnified by the gravitational lens. As Kyler stored the pike away, Harley reached for the Light. He'd attempted to do it several times throughout the day to no effect. Sure enough, something was cutting him off from it. He gave up with a huff of frustration and went inside.

After a moment of sitting on the bed, Prism appeared next to him.

"Don't expect to go after the Mindbender tomorrow if you can't access the Light by then."

Harley shook his head. "I've already waited too long."

"What then? You're just going to fight the Mindbender without the Light?"

"If I have to," he said stubbornly.

"You are _impossible_! I can't let you risk-"

"What are you going to do? Stay behind?"

"I would never. But I _could_ call Kaedro and Bazzle and tell them where you are."

Harley glared at her. "You wouldn't."

"No. Not usually. But I _will_ if you try to leave without the Light. And I expect it wouldn't take them very long to get here."

"Are you threatening me?" he said incredulously.

"It's not a threat. It's a promise."

Harley glared at her some more, but she didn't even blink. Kyler seemed to sense the tension between them when he came in.

"...Something wrong?" he asked warily.

"No," said Harley flatly.

Kyler raised an eyebrow but thankfully chose not to say anything, instead opting to start preparing food. Harley crossed his arms and directed his gaze at the wall, as though he could bore a hole in it with his stare alone. He hated fighting with his Ghost. Both of them were too stubborn for their own good, so arguments could last a while. What usually happened was Harley figured out that he was wrong and apologized to her. At the moment, however, the only thing he wanted to do was be alone. He stood up.

"I'm going out for a bit."

Kyler shot him a concerned look. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry. I won't run off after the Mindbender. I'll stay nearby. Just need to clear my head."

The mechanic nodded reluctantly.

Harley crossed to the door and stepped out. He could tell that Prism was about to follow him like she usually did, but changed her mind at the last moment. He felt a flicker of gratitude toward his Ghost. She could obviously tell that he needed some time to himself.

True to his word, he didn't stray far from the cabin. Upon finding a decently sized rock, he sat down, facing the distant gravitational lens. He sighed. Everything was getting so complicated. His mission used to be simple. Find Uldren and the Barons. Kill them. Leave for Mercury. Return to the Infinite Forest. Never come back out. He frowned. Did he really mean that? He didn't know. Logically, he knew that everything else would continue after his mission ended. He'd still be a Guardian. Enemies would still oppose the City. The fight would go on. He was just having trouble reconciling that with his current frame of mind.

He wasn't sure he could face returning to the Tower. Cayde would be gone. He hadn't realized how much of a presence the Hunter Vanguard had been in his life until Uldren had killed him. Cayde had been one of the first real connections he'd made as a Guardian and he'd only known that they were actually related for such a short amount of time. Maybe returning to the Forest permanently _was_ a good idea. He could focus on the Vex and leave the outside fight to others. Or maybe he'd leave entirely and venture out, beyond the heliopause. But those were all just ideas, half-made plans that may never be put to use. For now, he had other - more immediate - things to worry about. Such as his failure to reach the Light.

He'd never been shot by a Weapon of Sorrow before and thus had never suffered the effects of being wounded by one. It was comparable to when the Cabal had cut off the Traveler's Light during the Red War, except while he could still feel the Light, he couldn't connect to it. He sighed. Maybe he was right and he'd be able to reach it once he was fully healed. As far as outcomes go, that was probably the best one he could hope for.

He got to his feet and walked back to the cabin. The look of relief on Kyler's face made Harley wonder if the mechanic had expected him to take off despite Harley's assurances.

"I think I'll get some more rest," he said, "Give this wound more time to heal."

Kyler nodded. "I'll wake you up for dinner."

Dinner was relatively quiet as both parties were absorbed in their own thoughts. It wasn't until the end that Kyler finally spoke.

"So you'll be leaving tomorrow then." It wasn't a question.

Harley nodded. "I need to find the Mindbender."

"I know. Just...do you think you'll be coming back?"

Harley frowned at the table, either unable or unwilling to meet Kyler's gaze.

"I don't know... I don't plan to, but I didn't exactly plan to be shot by a Devourer Bullet either. All I want to do is finish this business with Uldren and the Barons and then leave."

"Leave and go where?"

Harley shrugged. "Somewhere else. Does it matter?"

"I guess not… What about your Light?"

"What about it? It'll be fine by tomorrow."

"And if it isn't."

"It will be."

Kyler's lips thinned. "I suppose that doesn't matter either?"

"Not really."

The mechanic sighed and muttered something. Harley thought he heard the word "impossible."

He stood up. "I'm going to get ready for bed. I'll be leaving at first light tomorrow."

Kyler muttered something else in response but Harley didn't hear any of it. Or particularly cared about finding out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Eliksni language used in this chapter was very handwavey since only some sentences can be reconstructed and most of it is still theoretical.


	9. Brightest in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley takes on the Mindbender but finds that he's not as prepared as he thought he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally forgot to post this chapter yesterday.

True to his word, Harley rose early the next day. As he was preparing his gear, he reached once more for the Light. He had no more success in reaching it than he had any of the other times he'd tried. However, it almost felt closer. More accessible. As though only a thin veil lay between him and it. With any luck, the veil would shift before he confronted the Mindbender.

Prism hovered about him as he gathered his things. Kyler hovered too, though not as literally. Harley got the sense that both of them would object to his actions if given the chance. He resolved not to give it to them. He checked over his weapons one last time before turning to the mechanic.

"I'd better get going."

Kyler didn't look happy about it, but he nodded. "Don't wind up dying in the desert again, huh?" he said, only half-joking.

"Unless the Mindbender has some Devourer Bullets stashed away somewhere, I'm not too worried."

"Keep an eye out, all the same."

Harley nodded. "I will."

Kyler looked like he wanted to go in for a hug, but in the end, he just extended a hand. Harley clasped it.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me," he said.

"'Course. I'd never wish for you to get shot by a Devourer Bullet, but I'm glad we got the chance to clear the air between us, at least a bit."

"Yeah." Harley shot him a small smile. "I'll see you around."

"Good luck," said Kyler.

Harley waved one last goodbye before stepping out into the gathering light and summoning his Sparrow.

By the time he arrived in the Jetsam of Saturn, it was much brighter. He scanned the surrounding area but noticed nothing apart from the usual Hive and Scorn activity on the fringes. He avoided letting his gaze linger too long on the entrance to Hellrise Canyon, turning toward the crashed tombship instead.

"Anything?" he asked.

" _Possibly,"_ said Prism, " _I'm picking up some unusual frequencies that seem to be coming from one of the caves. It's worth looking into."_

Harley nodded in agreement, dismounting his Sparrow. He followed his Ghost's directions down toward the edge of the asteroid and into a cave filled with Hive. He swiftly dispersed them with the bow he'd gotten from Petra before crossing the space to investigate a strange device. As Prism began to scan it, he heard the shrieking of more Hive drawing near. Stepping out in front of his Ghost, he repelled their attacks as she gathered information.

" _It looks like this is a synaptic amplifier made to interface with Hive specifically."_

Harley shot down a Thrall. "A what?"

" _He's called the Mindbender for a reason... This is a mind-control device. It's not the main one, but I should be able to triangulate the origin of its signal."_

"Do whatever you need to. I'll keep the Hive away."

It took several minutes for him to eliminate the rest of the Hive. Once they were dead, Prism vanished and informed him that they needed to go to the tombship.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Harley remarked as she guided him through its corridors. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

He didn't care for how the ship reminded him of the Dreadnaught.

They rounded a corner, coming face to face with an Ogre. Harley employed Perfect Paradox to kill it before he crossed the area at Prism's direction to examine another strange device.

" _Oh wonderful_ ," said Prism, " _It's safeguarded. Hang on…"_

Harley sighed but kept watch as she scanned. This time, it was the Scorn that tried to interrupt them. He shot them down with his bow as they appeared.

" _Hmm,"_ said Prism, " _It looks like this is the last one. We should be able to use it to find the Mindbender."_

"Great. Let's go."

Leaving the open space, they entered a tunnel and followed a series of passageways down into the bowels of the ship.

" _The Mindbender's file says he's obsessed with creating his own Throneworld."_

Harley felt a shiver travel down his neck. "Throneworld? Like what Crota and Oryx had?"

" _The same. Apparently, he thinks he can create it by killing powerful beings."_

"Well, yeah, that's how the Sword Logic works."

" _I know. But it should only be possible for the Hive."_

"Because of Oryx's deal with the Darkness."

" _Yes."_

"Well if he doesn't have a Throneworld, then so much the better," said Harley, "We don't need that kind of complication."

Finally, after making their way through a few squadrons of Scorn, he entered a large room with what looked like a Hive portal frame at the opposite end. Standing next to the frame was the Mindbender himself. A bizarre yet terrifying combination of Hive and Scorn, the Baron growled at Harley as he entered before shooting at him. Harley got out of the way, firing back. He frowned.

"Why hasn't the Mindbender said anything?"

Several of the other Barons had taunted him when he'd gone after them.

" _Maybe he can't?"_ suggested Prism, " _It wouldn't surprise me if he couldn't, given what I've read of his file."_

All of a sudden, the portal frame activated and the Mindbender made a beeline for it.

" _Don't let him get away!"_ said Prism.

Harley was already on his tail, running full-pelt into the portal.

He stumbled out into a large empty space, lit only by the glowing of a portal and intermittent flashes of lightning. It was though he stood in the middle of a swirling vortex. He raised his voice above the howling wind.

"What is this place?"

" _A Throneworld_ ," said Prism in dismay, " _How is it so big?"_

"I don't…"

Harley trailed off as he realized that yes, he _did_ know. Prism seemed to come to the same realization.

" _Oh...Cayde."_

The portal behind them went dark. Harley looked around but saw no sign of the Mindbender.

"I don't get it. He wasn't the one who actually killed Cayde, was he? How would that work?"

" _We can debate the parameters of the Sword Logic later,_ " said Prism, " _Right now we need to figure out why the Mindbender came here."_

"Seems pretty straightforward to me. He'll be stronger here."

" _Yes, but it's still taking a huge risk. The strength gained from being in a Throneworld has a trade-off. It's the only place where the being that's tied to it can be permanently killed. We didn't do_ that _much damage. So why would he come here?"_

"I really don't know," said Harley. The portal frame across from them lit up. "But," he continued, "I have the feeling that we're about to find out."

He readied his bow as the Mindbender stepped through, three times larger than he'd been on the Shore. Harley tensed, waiting for the Baron to make his move. But the Mindbender didn't so much as lift his weapon.

"What's he doing?" Harley hissed.

" _I don't know,"_ said Prism worriedly, " _But I don't like it."_

Then the Mindbender spoke in a snarling, guttural tongue that Harley assumed belonged to the Hive. The odd part about it was that while he couldn't directly understand what the Baron was saying, impressions were coming across to him. It was almost like something stood behind him, whispering in his ear.

**_Hunter…_ **

The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

**_You are a Hunter. Wanderer of wild placessss._ **

Harley's eyes darted around. "Prism, do you hear that?"

" _The Mindbender? Of course I can. He's speaking in the language of the Hive. But I can't understand it. Ghosts are forbidden to learn it."_

The strange voice spoke again.

**_Sssseeker of forgotten sssecretsssss._ **

"...I can understand it."

" _What?"_

**_You have been touched by the Darknessssss. You have known true perfection. You have been Taken._ **

" _Harley, what is he saying?"_

Harley frowned and shook his head almost as if to clear Prism's voice from his mind. "Hold on…"

" _Harley, he's called the Mindbender for a reason. Whatever he's saying, don't listen!"_

He frowned again. His mind felt sluggish, like it was taking more time to process things than usual. Logically, he knew what Prism was saying was important. He knew he shouldn't listen.

**_Sssset down your firearmsssss._ **

Almost of its own accord, his hand opened, letting his bow fall to the ground. Prism's voice was like an insistent buzzing in his ears. Irritating, but blockable.

**_Disssscard your cloak. Your vowssss mean nothing. You are free from your obligationsssss._ **

His fingers came up to free Cayde's cloak from his shoulders. It fell into the dust.

**_What do you fight for? What drivessss you to wander?_ **

He blinked. He used to know the answer to those questions. Even now, he felt like it was there, lurking in the back of his mind.

**_Your sssstrength liesss in movement. You sssscout the ravaged landsssss and reap sssssweet rewardsss. Your home is nowhere. Your home is everywhere._ **

Harley felt deep kinship with those words.

**_But you are bound to the Vanguard. You are bidden to return. Your wanderingssss are cut short._ **

That too rang true in Harley's ears.

**_You musssst have independence._ **

The air in front of him shimmered and a knife appeared, gleaming with a fell light.

**_There is a knife for you. It isss sssshaped like [you walk by yoursssself]. Take up the knife. Begin your journey. Take your new ssssshape._ **

Harley wanted to. He wanted that knife more than he had ever wanted anything. He felt it pulling him in and stepped forward. He wanted the knife. The knife wanted him. That was how it should be. He reached out, fingers brushing the hilt.

But before he could grasp it, a sharp cry tore through the air.

"No!"

A force slammed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. Harley blinked blearily, slightly dazed. The knife still hung in the air and he lurched forward but found that he couldn't move. Whatever had crashed into him was now pinning him down. He bucked and thrashed, trying to get free. Then he found the view of the knife blocked by a helmet.

"Ace!"

He swung at it but only got his wrists pinned down for his trouble.

"Ace, look at me! Prism filled us in. You need to block out his voice!"

Distantly, enraged snarls echoed across the space. Harley struggled to break away as an unseen battle raged nearby. All of a sudden, something clamped down on either side of his head, blocking everything out.

As soon as his hands were free, he started swinging away, making contact with each blow. It was almost like whoever had tackled him wasn't trying to avoid the punches. He stopped, squinting at the shadowy helmet above him.

"Kaedro?"

He could barely hear his own voice, let alone any reply the other Hunter might give. Evidently, this problem had been realized as he got a nod in response. He relaxed, no longer trying to throw the other Guardian off. Tipping his head back, he could make out the figure of Bazzle somewhere behind him, fighting the Mindbender. He winced when the Baron hit the Titan with a wicked backhand, sending him flying. Harley started struggling again.

"I need to help him."

Kaedro shook his head.

"He's in trouble!"

The Exo didn't budge. Harley gave a frustrated yell. He had to help Bazzle. He closed his eyes, reaching for the Light. This time, the veil shifted and Light spilled forth. The sound came rushing back, causing him to open his eyes. Kaedro had let go. Pressing the advantage, Harley pushed him off. Scrambling to his feet, he ran towards the Mindbender, now looming over Bazzle.

He summoned his Arc Staff as he ran, but upon looking at his hands, he found that instead of crackling with lightning, they were ablaze with Solar Light. The staff clutched in his hand was a fiery spear. His eyes widened but he knew he couldn't stop to think about it. He launched himself into the air, grasping the staff with both hands, and drove it through the Mindbender's chest. The Baron jolted, collapsing to the ground.

Harley stared at his own hands, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. The ground lurched under his feet and the tempo of the storm seemed to increase, whirling faster and faster. A hand closed around his arm and he looked up to find Bazzle standing in front of him.

"We need to evacuate!" the Titan shouted over the roaring wind, "The Throneworld is collapsing!"

Harley let himself be pulled along as Bazzle hurried toward the still lit portal frame. Bazzle glanced over his shoulder.

"Kaedro is behind us! Let's go!"

The shimmering darkness of the portal rushed up to meet him as he was yanked through to wherever it led.


	10. Questions Raised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The encounter with the Mindbender has Bazzle and Kaedro wondering about Hive magic and how a Guardian could suddenly switch elements with no training.

Ever since their disastrous attempt to convince Harley to accompany them back to the Tower, Kaedro and Bazzle had been staking out the Jetsam of Saturn. At first, they'd tried to follow the Hunter, but Kaedro had lost his trail soon after leaving the Jetsam. There was no easy way to track Sparrows, so they'd resolved to figure out where Harley would go next. Since the Spider wouldn't work with them without getting something in return, all they had to go off of were the names of the Barons that Harley had mentioned: the Mindbender, the Machinist, and the Fanatic.

While they couldn't be sure where the last two were located, it was a reasonable assumption that the Mindbender - given the records on him - could be found somewhere in the Jetsam of Saturn, hence their stakeout. But so far, neither the Mindbender or Harley had made an appearance. Kaedro sighed.

"I dunno, Baz, maybe we should call it. For all we know, Ace's killed the rest of the Barons by now."

"I'm sure we would know if he had," replied Bazzle, "It's more than possible that Hayden hasn't yet returned to the field. He was injured by the Rifleman, after all."

"You could be right. But if he was hurt bad enough that Prism couldn't heal him, there's a chance he might not be comin' back at all."

"If that had happened, Prism would have alerted us," said Bazzle.

Kaedro sighed again but didn't say anything. He felt the Titan put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kaedro, I know it must be on your mind, especially given what happened to Cayde… But Hayden is fine. He has made it through much worse than this."

"I guess you've got a point there... Thanks, Baz."

" _Eyes up, I'm detecting activity,"_ said Jyn.

Kaedro turned back to the road just in time to see Harley Sparrow into the area across from where they were stationed. His optics narrowed as he checked over the other Hunter. His armor seemed complete and intact, showing no sign of damage. The sight of Cayde's cloak still clasped around his neck sent a pang through Kaedro's chest.

He froze as Harley's head turned in their direction, the bleak light from the gravitational lens making his face appear pale and washed out. Kaedro wondered what had caused Harley to stop wearing a helmet. He had always worn one before, up until he'd gone to Mercury.

As he watched, Harley's gaze turned toward the crashed tombship and after a few seconds, he got off of his Sparrow and moved toward the asteroid's edge.

"What is he doing?" asked Bazzle, a frown in his voice.

"Not sure. Seems like he's looking for something. Should we confront him?"

The Titan shook his head. "No. If he's on the Mindbender's trail, it might be more...prudent to let him complete his task."

"I thought you were all about bringing him back to the Tower?"

Bazzle tipped his head slightly. "I am, but I also see the benefit in removing the Mindbender from the Tangled Shore."

"Alright, it's your call..."

Kaedro settled in to watch and wait. But when Harley disappeared into the tombship, he brought up the point that they would no longer be able to keep tabs on him. Bazzle suggested they follow at a distance to make sure they didn't lose track of him altogether. They tracked Harley into the crashed ship, finally coming to a room with an active portal.

"Ace and the Mindbender must've gone through that," said Kaedro. He glanced at Bazzle. "What do you wanna do?"

"We should wait here. If my suspicions are correct, then Hayden will return by way of that portal once the Mindbender is dead."

All of a sudden, Kaedro's interface flashed with a distress alert from Prism.

"Bazzle! Prism just pinged me! She and Ace-"

"Are in danger. I know. I received the same signal."

"We'd better get in there!"

Kaedro retrieved a scout rifle before running through the portal. He arrived on what seemed like a dark island in the middle of a churning sea. Lightning flashed in the sky and the wind howled around them, sending his cloak flapping. Across from them stood the giant form of the Mindbender in front of another portal frame. He seemed to be speaking, though Kaedro didn't know what he was saying. He scanned the area for Harley, locating him in the middle of the space. The Hunter appeared to be fine, but he wasn't moving. He just stood there, staring at the Mindbender.

Kaedro opened a channel. "Prism, what's wrong?!"

" _Oh thank the Traveler! Something's wrong with Harley! He's not listening to me!"_

A clattering sound drew Kaedro's attention back to Harley, whose weapons were now on the ground. He made no move to pick them up. Prism tried to reach her Guardian once again.

" _Harley pick up your bow! The Mindbender is controlling you, don't listen to him!"_

Kaedro watched as the other Hunter unfastened Cayde's cloak, dropping it to the ground as well.

"Ace, snap out of it!" he yelled, "Block your ears!"

The air in front of Harley appeared to distort and a knife materialized. Kaedro cursed, breaking into a run.

"Baz, go for the Mindbender! I'll get Ace!" He saw Harley make contact with the blade. "No!"

He launched himself at his friend, tackling him to the ground. Harley's eyes seemed distant, like they were focused on something that wasn't there. He reached toward the knife again but Kaedro didn't release his hold, not even when the other Hunter jerked and twisted in an effort to free himself. Kaedro positioned himself so that he was between Harley and the knife.

"Ace!"

Harley threw a punch at him but Kaedro caught his wrist before the blow could land, pinning it to the ground along with the other one.

"Ace, look at me! Prism filled us in. You need to block out his voice!"

But Harley continued to struggle, giving no sign that he'd heard. Making a quick decision, Kaedro let go of Harley's wrists to cover his ears and hopefully block out the Mindbender. As soon as his hands were freed, Harley began raining blow after blow on Kaedro, who didn't move. He knew that if he let Harley up while he was still under the Mindbender's influence, then he could lose his friend entirely. Eventually, Harley stopped swinging and peered up at him.

"Kaedro?" he practically yelled.

"Yeah, it's me, kid," Kaedro replied. Harley still looked confused. "Oh, right. You probably can't hear me."

He nodded at Harley and the other Hunter relaxed before tilting his head back to look behind him. Kaedro glanced up and saw Bazzle fighting the Mindbender and his minions. Suddenly, the Mindbender delivered a backhand that sent the Titan hurtling through the air. Harley started struggling to get free again.

"I need to help him!" Kaedro shook his head. "He's in trouble!"

"I'm sorry, Ace, but if I let you up, the Mindbender could control you again. Bazzle will have to manage on his own."

Harley yelled in frustration and closed his eyes. Instantly, he began to glow with orange-golden light. Kaedro's grip slackened in shock, giving Harley the opening he needed to get free. He pushed Kaedro off, shot to his feet, and sprinted toward the Mindbender.

Kaedro could only watch as Harley summoned a flaming staff and impaled the Mindbender. As the Mindbender fell to the ground and the dimension began to destabilize, Kaedro came back to himself. They had to get out of there before the Throneworld collapsed completely. He got to his feet, grabbing Harley's weapons and Cayde's cloak before running after his friends.

They emerged into the same room as before.

"How the hell did the Mindbender get a Throneworld?" asked Kaedro.

"I assume through the Sword Logic, as with the Hive," said Bazzle.

Harley nodded absently. He was still staring at his hands as though they could catch fire at any second.

"What happened back there?" Kaedro demanded.

Harley looked confused. "With the Mindbender?"

"With _everything_."

Bazzle nodded. "I would like to know as well."

Harley huffed. "Look, all I know is that I was able to understand him... He got in my head."

Kaedro sighed. "You were lucky Baz and I were there."

"...I know," said Harley grudgingly.

"What was the ability you used to kill the Mindbender?" asked Bazzle, "I haven't seen a Guardian do something like that since-"

"The Dark Age," said Kaedro.

Bazzle nodded and clarified. "During the Dark Age, before any of the orders were formed, Guardians were called Risen. The abilities they used were not...categorized in the way they are now. Risen used the Light in whichever way suited their needs. Some were what you'd call 'multiclass.'"

Kaedro nodded. "I guess it's not too far of a stretch…"

"I believe Hayden's case might be slightly different, however," said Bazzle, "The ability he used resembled the Arc Staff, but it was Solar."

"But Ace was never Solar... Switching specialties takes study and practice. Or an outside force, like when I picked up Tevis' bow. I don't think I've ever seen someone just switch like that."

"I don't know what happened!" said Harley, "One day, I'm using Arc. Now I'm _Solar_ all of a sudden? What does that mean? Can I summon a Golden Gun?"

He and Bazzle both looked at Kaedro.

"Well, my theory is yeah, you probably could... Let's accept the fact that you randomly just _became_ Solar. You can shape your Light into pretty much anything. Guardians typically settle into certain abilities or fighting styles because it's easier, but you could theoretically make anything. Like your Sun Staff."

"Sun Staff?"

"Whatever you wanna call it. If that was your main Arc ability before, it might be your main Solar ability now." He looked at Bazzle. "What would we even call that? Sunstrider? Firedancer?" The Titan shrugged. Kaedro turned back to Harley. "Look, kid, I'm not a Warlock, so I don't study this stuff. I'm just tellin' you my theory."

Harley nodded slowly. "It makes sense…"

Kaedro patted him on the shoulder. "Well, in any case, you'll have plenty of time to figure it out once you're back in the Tower. Jade could probably help you seeing as it's her job to teach Guardians."

Harley frowned. "What do you mean 'back in the Tower'?"

Kaedro sighed. "Ace, the Vanguard doesn't want you doing your 'renegade revenge' thing. We held off while you were after the Mindbender but Baz wasn't joking. What you're doing is considered a rogue operation... It's gotta end, Ace."

"It _will_ end," snapped Harley, "It'll end with Uldren's death."

He snatched his gear back from Kaedro, putting on the cloak and storing his weapons.

"I'm leaving," he said, "I'm walking out right now and I'm going to hunt down the rest of them. The Machinist, the Fanatic, and Uldren. You can try to stop me, but I'm not giving up."

Kaedro sighed. He could feel Bazzle mentally rubbing his forehead next to him. He glanced at the Titan as Harley turned and walked away but Bazzle showed no sign of pursuing. Once Harley was out of sight, Kaedro turned to face the other Guardian.

"What was that about? I thought Zavala wanted him back in the Tower?"

Bazzle sighed. "He does. But it isn't as easy to use force on one of our own, as you no doubt are aware. Things have come a long way since the Dark Age..."

"So what do we do?"

"We should leave this place before any Hive or Scorn return. Then we should call Wrythal. She may be able to shed some more light on Hayden's current status as well as what occurred with the Mindbender. After that...I'm afraid we must commit fully to our task. It is clear to me now that Hayden will not come willingly. We may have to use force." Kaedro sighed again. "I don't like it any more than you do," said Bazzle, "But it may be the only option left to us." He looked at Kaedro. "If you wish to depart, now is the time. I know asking you to do this is unfair."

"I'm not backing out, Bazzle," Kaedro replied, "I know it's unfair, but the Vanguard has a good reason. And one way or another, Uldren will still get what's coming to him."

Bazzle nodded. "Let's go. We can confer with Wrythal once we're back in Thieves Landing."

They hadn't gone back to visit the Spider since their initial meeting with him. Instead, they'd repurposed one of the smaller abandoned buildings as a temporary base of operations. It was there they returned after parting ways with Harley. Jyn assisted Kaedro in rewiring one of the monitors to provide a video interface, then they initiated the call. After a few seconds, they were greeted by Jade's face blinking into existence on the screen.

" _Bazzle? Kaedro?"_

"Hey, Jade," said Kaedro.

The Warlock looked amused. " _You guys are lucky. It's lunchtime over here so my students are all out... How's your mission going?"_

"Well, as you can probably see, Ace isn't here," Kaedro joked, "How's Bazzle's replacement doing with training?"

A look of exasperation crossed Jade's face. " _Don't get me started… In fact, I've been meaning to talk to Bazzle...but that can wait."_ She smiled briefly. " _I'm guessing you called me for a reason and not just to catch up."_

Bazzle nodded. "Yes, unfortunately. There are two matters we wished to consult with you about before returning to our mission."

" _I'll do my best to help you out. What's up?"_

Bazzle and Kaedro exchanged a glance. "Well, first off, we just fought the Mindbender," said Kaedro, "And apparently he was able to get into Ace's head, so we were wondering how he does what he does, if that makes sense."

" _I see… Do you have any info on him that you could send me?"_

Kaedro nodded. "Yeah, Jyn can send it."

They fell silent as the files were transferred and Jade looked them over, a thoughtful frown on her face. The screen lagged and flickered occasionally, whether it was because of Kaedro's jury-rig or radio interference between the Reef and Earth, they didn't know. Eventually, Jade looked back up.

" _Well, from what these say, he essentially followed the same path as the Hive. Sword Logic, runes, all of that._ "

Bazzle nodded. "Yes. He even had a Throneworld."

Jade's eyebrows shot up. " _That's pretty advanced. Was it very large?"_

"Nothing on the scale of Crota or Oryx, but yeah, it was big enough," said Kaedro.

" _Hmm. I suppose he would at least be considered as being on the same level as Ascendant Hive… You said he got into Harley's head?"_

"Yeah. We had no idea what he was saying, but apparently Ace could understand him."

Jade frowned. " _That shouldn't be possible… He had to have been speaking the Hive language and not only do Guardians not understand it but attempting to understand it is...frowned upon, to say the least."_

"I've heard that a few times, but I always wonder... why? Surely learning their language could help us defeat them..."

" _Words in the language of the Hive are more than just words. To say death is to die. They use words as a means to invoke their will... My theory is that the Mindbender operates on the same basic principle as the Deathsingers."_

"So you're saying that not only was the Mindbender speaking to Ace, he was controlling him with the words."

Jade nodded. " _I still have no idea how Harley understood what was being said. I'll have to do more research on that."_

"But what about how his words only affected Ace and not us?"

" _That's much simpler. It's partially because he was focused on Harley more so than you or Bazzle. But Harley also wasn't wearing a helmet. Guardian helmets are constructed to filter out psychic attacks to some degree. It wouldn't save you from a Deathsinger, but it would make it easy to block out the Mindbender."_

Kaedro nodded. "I gotcha."

" _What was the other thing you wanted to ask about?"_ asked Jade.

"Hayden," said Bazzle, "We saw him use Solar Light to summon a staff resembling his Arc Staff."

" _Solar Light?"_

"Yes. Have you ever looked into whether it's possible for a Guardian to switch specialties without training?"

" _Yes it's possible, but they'd be unlikely to have success."_

Bazzle nodded with a sigh. "As I suspected…"

" _Was there anything that prompted the change, like how Kaedro adopted Void Light?"_

Kaedro shook his head. "There wasn't."

" _Interesting… I'll see what I can dig up."_ She glanced away for a second. " _My next class is due to begin soon. I'll look into what you told me and send any relevant data your way."_

"Thanks, kid."

"Yes, thank you, Wrythal," said Bazzle, "It's much appreciated."

" _Of course. Good luck on your mission. Bring Harley home."_

"We will," said Kaedro.

With that, he ended the call.

"Well," he said, turning to Bazzle, "We know more than we did earlier. I guess that's something."

"Indeed… We'll leave Wrythal to look into things. In the meantime, we need to figure out where Hayden is going next. Let's start looking into any information we can find on the Machinist."


	11. The Fire Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Harley hunts the Machinist, he finds himself reflecting on his adoption of Solar Light and the things the Mindbender said to him.

" _Do you want to talk about it?"_ asked Prism.

"No," said Harley tightly, making no effort to speak over the engine of his Sparrow.

" _Are you sure?"_

"What is there to talk about? You were there. You know what happened."

Prism didn't reply. Part of Harley wanted to believe that meant that she'd given up, but he knew his Ghost too well. Prism didn't give up. She bided her time until the next opportunity came along. He sighed.

"What do you want me to say here, Prism?"

" _Well, maybe you should start by telling me what the Mindbender was saying to you."_

"Why does it matter? Isn't it enough to know that he got control of me?"

" _It's better to operate with all of the facts. Who knows? Something like that could happen again."_

"The Mindbender's dead. I killed him _in_ his Throneworld. He's not coming back."

" _Harley…"_

"Fine. You really want to know? He said a whole lot of nonsense. He sounded like he was describing me and then he offered me a knife."

His Ghost was silent for a moment as she thought it over.

" _And that was it?"_ she asked.

"Pretty much… I think he said something else about me being Taken, but that was it."

" _Wait, he said 'Taken'? Harley, what were his exact words?"_ her tone carried a note of urgency.

Harley frowned, trying to bring back the memory. "He said...that I had been touched by the Darkness. That I'd been Taken and known 'true perfection.'"

Prism said nothing.

"What do you make of it?" he asked.

" _I'm not sure what to think,"_ she said carefully, " _I...may have a theory. I'll tell you about it after I've considered it some more."_

Harley nodded. "If that's the case, do you have any theories on what happened with my Light? Because I'd sure like to know the answer to that one."

" _Not a theory but maybe the beginnings of one. I'd like to have more data though. I'd like to know the extent of your Solar abilities, like whether you could summon a Golden Gun."_

"Who knows? I can at least try, though… What do you think caused my Light to manifest as Solar rather than Arc?"

" _We don't have a lot of research on the Light,"_ admitted Prism, " _I'm sure we could ask Jade to look into it once this business with the Barons is finished. However, I think it may be tied to your emotions, at least partially. That's one of my ideas."_

"What's the other?"

" _Well...Cayde used Solar Light. Maybe your connection with him triggered it. I'd rather not back either of those theories without more to go on, though."_

Harley nodded. Both theories sounded possible, but they both also had their respective holes. This whole escapade was turning out to be a lot more than Harley had bargained for. Instead of closure for Cayde's death, he was just finding more questions to answer about himself. But for now, he pushed them to the back of his mind. At the moment, there were more pressing matters to contend with and none more pressing than finding the Machinist.

Yyrhiks wasn't occupying his usual spot when Harley arrived in the club. He asked the Vandal bartender where the other Fallen was and was pointed to a back room. Sure enough, the Captain was back there looking over a datapad. He glanced up when Harley walked in, not attempting to knock beforehand.

"Vel, Har-lee Lo Variisis," greeted Yyrhicks, inclining his head slightly.

"Vel, Yyrhiks," Harley replied.

Yyrhiks chuckled. "We make Eliksni-kind of you yet, Har-lee… Kyleriks not here?"

Harley shook his head. "I came alone this time… The Mindbender is dead."

Yyrhiks' eyes gleamed. "This is good news," he said, "Hiraks lacked honor. Followed path of Bonewalkers. Traitor to Eliksni."

"'Bonewalkers'?"

"Hive. But now Hiraks is dead, you seek Elykris." Harley nodded. "Not many reports of Fikrul or Uldrenkel but Elykris… Elykris been-gather bad Ether for Scorn. She takes what she needs. Eliksni, Human, Awoken, Cabal...all the same. She has much loyalty for Fikrul. Beware, Har-lee."

Harley nodded. "Where can I find her?"

"Har-lee must go to Soriks' Cut. Look for the acid pools and you find Elykris."

"Thank you."

"Ta ke ze, Har-lee. Bring death to Scorn and free the Shore of their filth. Other times, they stand ireliis. Now they die." He reached out, clasping Harley's arm, "Good-hunt, Lo Variisis. We speak again after Elykris is dead."

"We will. Thank you for the information, Yyrhiks." With that, he walked out.

On the way back to his Sparrow, he consulted with Prism. "What do you think Yyrhiks meant about the acid?"

" _I'm not sure,"_ she replied, " _But I have a feeling we'll know it when we see it. Otherwise, he would have given us more to go on."_

"Then let's get to Soriks' Cut."

Sure enough, after a short while spent looking around the Cut, Harley stumbled across some pools of putrid yellow acid around the remains of a Walker. He buried his nose in the crook of his elbow, almost gagging at the sulfurous odor.

"How concentrated is that stuff?" he asked Prism, his voice slightly muffled.

" _I don't think it can get through your armor,"_ she said, " _But I would keep my distance if I were you."_

"Great."

He entered the tunnel behind the Walker, hopping over the acid pools.

" _I hope you keep what Yyrhiks said in mind_ ," said his Ghost.

Harley's lips twitched into what was almost a smile. "Telling me to trust a Fallen, huh. Who would've thought it'd come to this?"

" _I know he's a Fallen, but he seems trustworthy. At least, as trustworthy as Fallen come. And he_ is _right. You should be careful around the Machinist. She's very close to Fikrul."_

"I know. I'll watch out."

They entered a scrapyard full of acid and machine parts. Several Scorn roamed the area. Harley took out the ones on ground-level before making his way over to a tank that Prism had taken note of. She seemed confident that she could hack into it. Luckily for both of them, the tank began to move as soon as she connected with it.

At her direction, Harley scavenged some replacement parts while his Ghost laid down cover fire. He had to admit that having her actively fighting beside him was a nice change. Once he retrieved the necessary parts, Prism prepared to surrender control.

" _Don't tell anyone I said this, but I've always wanted to operate a tank,"_ she said regretfully.

Harley paused. "Here's an idea," he said, "Why don't you keep driving it? I'll stay on top."

" _Are you sure?"_ He nodded and climbed onto the tank. " _Alright. But you might want to hold onto something. This is my first time driving."_

Harley was glad that he listened to that advice because Prism didn't hold back. They barreled through the junkyard, running over Scorn left and right. On their way, they encountered enormous containers of the corrupted Ether Yyrhiks had mentioned. Prism didn't hesitate to use the tank's turret to blow them up. But the real trouble came when they ran into a Walker. Even as his Ghost made full use of the weapons system, Harley was doing his best to weaken it without getting thrown off the tank. Once they were past it, they found another one waiting for them further along. Harley heard Prism give a mechanical sigh.

" _Harley, I'm not sure this tank is going to be able to withstand another assault from a Walker."_

"Yeah...I figured. I might have an idea though…"

" _What is it?"_ she asked warily.

"I'll need you to drive straight at the Walker at full speed. Will you be able to transmat out before hitting it?"

" _Yes, I should be able to do that. But what about you?"_

"I'll get clear now." He hopped off of the tank, landing on a patch of clear ground. "Ready?"

" _Let's take this Walker down."_

Harley watched as the tank started to roll, slow at first, but gathering momentum as it went. The Walker began to fire upon the tank to destroy it before it could make contact. Smoke began to billow from the tank as it careened toward its target and Harley began to worry that it wouldn't make it the rest of the way.

But as it turned out, his worry was for nothing. The tank slammed into the Walker, taking out two of its legs and causing it to crash to the ground. In the span of one of Harley's breaths, a colossal fireball erupted from the tank as it exploded, shearing through the mechanical body of the Walker. The ground quaked under Harley's feet at the force of the blast, nearly sending him toppling into one of the acid pools. When the smoke cleared, he saw the remains of the two machines lying in a shallow crater, almost unrecognizable.

"Prism?"

" _I'm here."_

He relaxed marginally at the sound of her voice.

" _Your plan worked,"_ she said.

"Surprised?"

" _No, it's just...I think I'll miss driving that tank."_

Harley's lips pulled into a small smile. "I'm sure we can get you another tank sometime but for now...let's get moving. It's time we finished this."

He summoned his Sparrow, not wanting to risk setting foot in the acid and pressed onward.

A short while later, he came to a section that was blocked off by an energy barrier. Scorn stood guard next to a station to the left. Harley could make out the glow of a few screens through a window.

"That must be where the controls are."

Drawing back his bow, he sent arrows into the sentries' heads before dismounting his Sparrow and jogging over to the station. There were even more Scorn inside, though all were soon dispatched with the help of Perfect Paradox. Prism appeared to hack into one of the consoles as he stood guard against more Scorn.

Soon, the energy barrier was down and they were moving on. They entered a larger area mostly covered in acid. Harley shot from his Sparrow, taking out the Machinist's minions as he went. He heard a crackle of static as a comm channel activated.

" _Shipments...away_ ," hissed the voice of the Machinist, " _All our weapons...to Fikrul and...the Awoken King."_

"We'll see how much that helps them against me," Harley muttered.

He drove through another tunnel, emerging into a wide space. The Machinist was crouching in the middle. She cocked her head, inspecting him.

"You want revenge? I watched Cayde die! Pathetic death!"

"Yeah, well I'm about to grant you a pathetic death of your own!" Harley retorted, leaping off of the Sparrow and hurling a grenade at the Machinist.

It detonated on impact, blasting her with Solar Light. She staggered with a growl before bending down, activating a weapons array strapped to her back. A series of missiles shot into the sky and a yellow beam fell upon Harley.

" _Harley, move!"_ warned Prism, " _You're being targeted!"_

Harley jumped clear just as the first missile struck the ground where he had been standing seconds earlier. Another targeting beam illuminated him. He cursed and began to run as the missiles left a trail of destruction in his wake.

"The Scorned Barons...always stand together," said the Machinist, "Divide us...but you cannot break us."

"We'll see about that!"

He threw another grenade at the Machinist. As she recovered and prepared another missile barrage, he got an idea. The second the first missile fired, he changed course and ran straight at the Machinist. She laughed and drew her gun, preparing to shoot him. But before she could pull the trigger, Harley dropped, sliding under her.

As he slid, the missiles that had been tracking him slammed into the Machinist, who landed heavily on one knee, her weapons array smoking dangerously. She rose slowly, breathing heavily, and turned around to face him.

"Well played...Hunter. But not done yet."

Harley closed his eyes and reached for the Light. He searched for the fire that he now possessed and found it ready. Calling it to his hand, he shaped it into a blazing cannon, leveling it at the Machinist's head. She laughed, the sound becoming a coughing wheeze in her throat.

"I bought them...time. The Scorn… The Barons...stand together…forever…"

Harley fired. The sharp crack of the bullet rang through the air as it blazed through the Machinist, bringing the death that had been promised. Harley let the fire die out, his eyes locked on the Machinist's corpse.

" _Seven Barons dead…"_ said Prism.

Harley nodded. "It's just the Fanatic and Uldren now... We're so close."

His comms crackled. " _Harley."_

It was Petra.

"Petra," greeted Harley.

" _Congratulations on the success of your mission."_

"Thanks. Why are you calling?"

" _I have news. I know where Uldren is headed. Are you ready to end this?"_

Harley nodded. "More than ready."

" _Good. Meet me at Spider's safe house."_

"I will."

Harley ended the call.

"It's time to end this," he told Prism, "Let's go find Uldren."

Petra and the Spider were waiting when Harley finally arrived at the safehouse.

"Ah, there you are," said the Spider, "Well done, Hunter. Seven Scorned Barons dead...a commendable feat."

"Good, you're here," said Petra, "I tracked Uldren to Earth and I believe I've figured out his next move… He's going to the Watchtower. That's where we'll stop him for good."

"The Watchtower?" asked Harley.

"I've always wondered what secrets and treasures the Awoken stashed in that ersatz spire," said the Spider, "But my friendship with Queen Mara, while she lived, stayed my hand. Well, that and a locked door. Thus I am honor-bound to send a selection of my finest to help you find that ever-elusive closure. I must say...I cannot wait to see how this ends."

Petra nodded. "Your assistance is appreciated, Spider. I shudder to think what Uldren has planned."

"What exactly is the Watchtower?" Harley asked, "And what does Uldren want with it?"

Petra pursed her lips. "That information is not for the present. As for what he wants… I'm not entirely certain. But I know that it's nothing good."

"Alright," said Harley grudgingly, "What's the plan?"

"You will approach the Watchtower on foot along with Spider's forces. Meanwhile, I will approach by air. We must reach Uldren and the Fanatic before they can accomplish whatever they have planned."

"Got it."

"Very well… Let's move."


	12. Kill Uldren Sov

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazzle and Kaedro hurry to stop Harley before he can go through with his plan to kill Uldren.

"How can we be so unlucky?" Kaedro groaned, "We've been searching the records for where the Machinist might be for hours and we're no closer to figuring it out than we were when we started."

"Yes, it's...discouraging," said Bazzle.

He was fairly certain that Harley had found the Machinist and had likely already won. He glanced out of the window. Thieves' Landing was extraordinarily quiet. Enemy activity was currently very minimal.

"Has Wrythal responded yet?" he asked.

Kaedro shook his head. "Nothing yet."

Bazzle refrained from sighing. As frustrating as it was to not be able to do anything about their current situation, he had to keep a clear head. Suddenly, he heard a low droning sound.

"Kaedro, do you hear that?"

The Exo tilted his head. "Yeah, sounds like a Sparrow."

Bazzle scanned the landscape through the window, looking for any sign of movement. The droning steadily increased in volume and something flickered on the edge of his vision before an extremely familiar Sparrow emerged from the road that led to the Jetsam of Saturn.

"It's Ace!" said Kaedro unnecessarily.

He made as if to leave the building but Bazzle stopped him.

"Wait. We need to know where he's going."

They watched as Harley approached the entrance to the Spider's hideout, slowing down. He got off of his Sparrow and walked in.

"Visiting Spider? Is he getting the next location?" asked Kaedro.

"Most likely… We should stay here until he returns."

"You don't wanna go in after him? We could probably stop him right now."

"I'd rather not risk it. The Spider is assisting him and he may decide to interfere."

"Good point."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the entrance to the hideout and waiting for Harley to emerge. But when he finally returned, he wasn't alone. Petra Venj was with him, along with a handful of the Spider's minions. Kaedro cursed.

"No way we can get to him now. Not with Petra and those Fallen there."

Bazzle nodded. "We shall have to follow them," he decided, "Eventually, an opportunity will arise."

They watched as Petra and Harley exchanged a few words before Petra split off, walking in a different direction. Harley summoned his Sparrow and the Fallen mounted Pikes that had been waiting nearby. Then the group sped off, out of the Landing.

Bazzle grabbed his helmet and hurried out of the building, Kaedro close behind him. Once they were on the ground, they summoned their own Sparrows and set off in pursuit.

They followed at a distance to avoid detection. Sway and Jyn hid their IDs so Harley wouldn't discover them through Prism. Bazzle didn't know the route they were taking, but their destination was clear as they drew nearer and nearer to the massive Awoken tower he'd seen on the horizon.

When they came to a path made of smaller linked asteroids, he and Kaedro held back. Harley and the Fallen were now on foot, joining up with even more of the Spider's associates. They even spotted a couple of Fallen Walkers stationed along the path.

The reason for such firepower was made clear as Scorn pressed against them, trying to keep them back. Harley worked with the Fallen to clear the path as an Awoken ship swooped by overhead.

"Guess we know where Petra went," said Kaedro.

"Let's move," replied Bazzle.

They made their way along the path, now clear of Scorn. The Fallen that remained paid them no attention, letting them continue uninhibited. Eventually, they reached a massive asteroid littered with bodies - some were Fallen but the majority were Scorn.

The path cut through a short cliffside, winding its way through until it let out to a wide platform in front of the tower. Standing before the tower's entrance was the Fanatic. The two Guardians pressed back into the shadow of the cliff. Bazzle felt Kaedro move next to him, as the Exo drew his gun.

"Wait," Bazzle warned.

He pointed to the figure that stood between themselves and the Fanatic.

"If we act now, Hayden will know we're here."

"Damn it…" said Kaedro.

Bazzle watched as the Fanatic addressed Harley.

"You enjoyed killing them? You enjoyed putting them in dirt - where you belong? Did it make you feel good?"

"Not as good as how I'll feel after what comes next," Harley retorted.

He sprung into action, throwing a grenade and sending an arrow after it, causing it to detonate in the Fanatic's face. While the Fanatic was blinded, the Hunter dashed forward and landed several shots with a shotgun before having to dive for cover and the Fanatic sent out an Arc blast.

"Kaniks. Reksis Vahn. Yaviks. Pirrha. Araskes. Hiraks. Elykris. Tell me… I wish to know how it will feel… when I kill YOU."

Harley didn't respond. Instead, he blasted the Fanatic in the chest with a rocket launcher. The Fanatic snarled and vanished, reappearing inside the tower. Dark smoke covered the ground as Scorn appeared, shooting at Harley.

All of a sudden, Harley's body erupted in flames as he summoned his fiery staff, twirling it in a deadly configuration against the mass of enemies, burning them to cinders. The second his flames burnt out, the Fanatic raised his own staff, causing Arc energy to shoot out, wrapping around Harley and pulling him in.

"I will pay any price...to be there when you die…"

Harley, for his part, was shooting arrow after arrow at the Fanatic until the Baron released him. Once he was free, Harley took cover behind a pillar as another Arc bolt was sent his way. Then the Hunter stood completely still.

"What's he doing?" hissed Kardeo, "He's gonna get himself killed!"

Suddenly, flames raced down Harley's arm, resolving into a Golden Gun. Bazzle and Kaedro watched in astonishment as Harley stepped out from behind the pillar and fired twice at the Fanatic's chest.

The Fanatic looked down at the smoking holes in his body as he crumpled, summoning just enough strength to wheeze out one final message.

"The Scorn...are...forever…"

Then he was still. Bazzle watched as Harley drew himself upright, wiping his forehead with the back of his glove before proceeding through the doorway at the opposite side of the room. Once he was out of their line of sight, Bazzle and Kaedro stepped into the courtyard.

"Did I just see Ace summon a Golden Gun?" said Kaedro disbelievingly.

Bazzle nodded. "What's more is he drew on his Light directly after killing those Scorn. Guardians avoid doing that for a reason."

"Yeah, a move like that would exhaust _anyone_. I really hope he doesn't get himself killed."

"As do I… But we need to move. The Fanatic was the last of the Scorned Barons. Only Uldren is left. We must not let Hayden get to him."

With that, he turned and headed into the tower.

Harley moved through the interior of the Watchtower, paying no heed to the graceful architecture or mysterious artifacts. At one point, he would have been fascinated by them. But not now. Now he had but one goal and he was fixed on it with single-minded intent: kill Uldren Sov. He wouldn't say it, but the Fanatic had been right. It _had_ felt good to eliminate the Barons. To bring down Cayde's killers. And now that he was on the trail to the man who'd pulled the trigger, he would not be dissuaded.

Distantly, he was aware of Prism asking Petra about some of the things they encountered in the Watchtower, but he didn't pay any attention to the answers.

Up ahead, he saw a doorway shimmering with Taken corruption. He'd noticed the dark patches of the stuff littered about, how could he not? But this was the most extensive he'd seen so far. Taking a steadying breath, he stepped through the doorway. Instantly, he found himself in the ascendant plane, yet his surroundings indicated that he was still in the Watchtower. He pressed on, ignoring the rifts, blights, and the sensation of being watched.

The voice of Mara Sov echoed through the space.

" _Open the door, Brother. OPEN THE DOOR."_

Uldren's reply sounded faint and weak in comparison.

"I can't… No…"

Harley stepped through a portal, once again in the Watchtower. He continued forward.

" _The line between dimensional planes is thin here,"_ noted Prism.

Harley entered a room with Taken in it. He paused, hands clenching around his bow. He took a shaky breath. Uldren was above him somewhere. He felt an elusive pull in the back of his head drawing him to the prince. The Taken would not keep him from his goal. He took them out swiftly, at range, before continuing on.

More appeared when he entered a different room with a tree inside. Some sprinted at him while others stood by. These too, he made quick work of, stepping through another portal.

" _Obey me,"_ said Mara Sov, " _FREE ME."_

Harley felt his connection to Uldren grow stronger, more tangible. It was as though the universe _wanted_ him to find Uldren. Wanted him to kill him. _Uldren must pay._

More Taken appeared in his path. _Uldren must die._

A Thrall ran up to him and Harley raised an arm to ward off a blow, but the blow never came. He dropped his arm. The Thrall wasn't attacking. Why wasn't it attacking? He looked around at the rest of the Taken. _Kill Uldren Sov._

They weren't moving. They simply stood, watching him with their swirling white faces. _Kill Uldren Sov._

Harley took a step forward. The Taken made no move to stop him. He set off again, running. _Kill Uldren Sov._

Mara Sov's voice rang through the ascendant plane. " _FREE ME, O brother mine…"_

"No," said Uldren, "No, no, no, no… Something's wrong."

Harley kept going. _Kill Uldren Sov._

" _Harley…"_ said Prism, " _Something isn't right. Did Mara sound...off to you?"_

Harley didn't reply. He didn't care if Mara sounded different. Killing Uldren was what mattered. He jumped down onto a platform swimming with Taken energy. A massive Taken Knight appeared before him. He raised his bow but before he could shoot, the Knight summoned a portal. Harley looked between the portal and the Knight. When the Knight made no move to attack, he jumped through. _Kill Uldren Sov._

Bazzle and Kaedro were running through the tower as fast as they could. They had no idea how far ahead of them Harley was. He could have reached Uldren already for all they knew.

They entered a portal and found themselves in an ascendant version of the tower. There were no Taken, but Bazzle heard the Awoken Queen's voice echo as though she was there with them. They didn't pause, running through the rest of the space and out the exit portal.

"Did you hear that?" asked Bazzle as they ran.

"Yeah," said Kaedro, sounding troubled, "I thought Mara Sov died in the Battle of Saturn."

"I thought so too," said Bazzle darkly.

They entered another portal but found Taken waiting for them.

"What the-" Kaedro cut himself off in favor of dispatching the Taken.

A Thrall rushed at Bazzle and Bazzle punched it square in the chest, causing it to disintegrate. It was fairly easy to eliminate the Taken, but he was troubled by their existence, something he mentioned to Kaedro as they continued.

"Hayden should have killed those Taken when he came through. Why were they still around?"

"Maybe new ones showed up?" suggested Kaedro.

"I don't think so… But there's no time to speculate on it now. We must catch up to him."

They had to kill a Taken Knight to summon the exit portal, which just reinforced Bazzle's feeling that something was wrong. They hurried through the corridors, maneuvering around enormous blights in their path. Bazzle knew they were getting close.

Finally, they rounded a corner and found the entrance to a massive chamber. Ahead of them, Bazzle could see Harley standing, facing something at the other end of the room. They had made it.


	13. Dust To Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The saying goes "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." Some may see death as the highest price one can pay, but every action has consequences. And some of those consequences can be just as hard to bear.

Kaedro held his gun at the ready as they entered the room. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he knew something felt off. Mara Sov being alive, the Taken still in the ascendant realm… something wasn't right.

He looked past Harley to the opposite side of the room. Uldren was on his hands and knees in front of a large glowing portal frame, reaching out to whatever was coming through.

"Mara?" he asked.

" _Uldren,"_ Mara's voice replied.

Kaedro could make out the silhouette of the Queen growing larger in the frame.

" _You brave, devoted, pathetic fool. Thank you."_

Uldren got to his feet, reaching up to her. As she took his arms, her figure warped, morphing into an enormous creature with a gaping maw and glowing tentacles, pulling Uldren in. Uldren screamed and began to struggle, but it was no use against the monstrous creature. Cayde's hand cannon, the Ace of Spades, fell from his grasp, clattering to the floor. Kaedro looked on in horror as the creature put Uldren Sov into its mouth, swallowing him whole.

"What the hell!" he yelled, "What in Light's name is that thing?!"

Harley looked over his shoulder, meeting Kaedro's gaze. Kaedro nearly dropped his gun. His friend's eyes were glowing white. Harley didn't react to the sight of them - didn't even blink - instead turning back to the creature that had eaten Uldren. Drawing his bow, he sent several arrows into its mouth. It bellowed and sent void projectiles at them, causing them to scatter. As the creature flew forward, Kaedro saw Taken materialize in the room, setting their sights on him and Bazzle.

He fought the Taken, careful to stay near some form of cover should the creature fire at him. He glanced after Harley to find the Hunter standing calmly in the midst of a crowd of Taken Psions, shooting at the tentacle creature. A thousand alarms sounded in Kaedro's head at the sight. Not only was Harley not reacting to being so close to the Taken, but the Taken weren't acting aggressively toward him at all. Kaedro knew then that something was truly wrong. The Taken wouldn't leave a Guardian alone for any reason, yet they were not shooting Harley. And after Harley's experience at the hand of Oryx, Kaedro knew that he could barely stand the sight of Taken. By all accounts, the number of Taken around Harley should have sent him into a panic attack. Yet he stood there acting like it was just another day in the field.

Kaedro focused on killing the rest of the Taken before helping Harley and Bazzle shoot the creature. Somewhere, he heard Uldren's voice cry out.

"Nooooo!"

Then his vision warped and they were standing in the ascendant realm. More Taken began to appear. Kaedro watched in shock as they once again ignored Harley in favor of attacking the other two Guardians. Harley ran over to a Centurion and jumped through the portal it summoned, which promptly vanished.

"What about that is fair?" Kaedro grumbled, ignoring the worry building inside his chest.

It wasn't something he could afford to focus on at the present moment. He and Bazzle plowed through the Taken and dispatched the Centurion, opening the exit portal. They emerged into the tower room just in time to see Harley deliver a Golden Gun shot to the creature's mouth. Inside, Uldren screamed.

"SISTER! HELP!"

Kaedro's vision rippled again as they were sent back to the ascendant plane. He groaned. Ahead of them, he saw Harley running toward a Taken Phalanx.

"Ace!"

Harley didn't even slow down, running through the portal and out of the ascendant realm. Kaedro groaned again and reached for the Light. He drew back a bow of pure Void and fired an arrow into the midst of the Taken. Tendrils shot out from the point of impact, ensnaring the enemies while he and Bazzle shot them down. As they exploded in a cacophony of ethereal starbursts, Kaedro dropped a vortex grenade on the phalanx, watching as the Void ate it away, dissolving it into nothing.

They jumped back through the portal and went to work on the tentacle creature. More Taken had materialized in the room since they'd left, so Kaedro kept them off Bazzle while the Titan shot at the creature.

All of a sudden, a glowing shield appeared around the creature, deflecting their shots. Kaedro looked to the side and saw the shield was tethered to two floating spheres. He quickly shot them down. The creature turned on him and Kaedro dropped flat to avoid the Void projectile careening his way.

"That wasn't very nice," he muttered.

Switching to a sniper rifle, he aimed carefully into the center of the creature's mouth and fired as many times as he could, not stopping until the chamber was empty. The creature bellowed in pain, writhing in midair. Next to it, a swirling vortex formed in the air, pulling the terrible thing in, compressing it down into nothingness. It vanished in a blink and Uldren fell to the ground with a thud that made Kaedro wince. The Exo watched him carefully, looking for any sign of life. After a few moments, the Prince rolled over with a groan.

Kaedro sighed in relief and looked around for Harley. The Hunter was in the process of nocking an arrow.

Kaedro threw himself forward and grabbed Harley's bow, wrestling it from his grasp. Harley turned, glaring and Kaedro backpedaled, holding the bow behind his back.

"Give it back," Harley hissed.

Kaedro looked into his friend's eyes, finding that they still shone with a harsh white light, morphing his face into something that Kaedro's instincts screamed that he should kill. That empty gaze reached something deep inside of Kaedro - a primordial fear as old as creation that caused him to take another step back. Harley's breathing was ragged, likely from a combination of the multiple Light attacks he'd used combined with physical exertion. Kaedro dropped the bow, kicking it away with a clatter.

"It's over, kid."

Harley shook his head. "It's not over," he growled, "Not until he's dead. Not until he pays for what he's done."

"He will," said Bazzle, stepping forward, "He will stand trial before the Awoken for his actions."

Harley shook his head vehemently. "Not good enough. He must die. He has to be brought to justice."

Uldren, who had been in the process of crawling away, laughed bitterly.

"Justice," he said, turning over and propping himself up to glare at them, "Is that what you think this is?"

Harley lunged toward him, hands curled into claws, but Kaedro caught his arms. The other Hunter twisted, trying to yank himself free. Kaedro tightened his grip. He couldn't afford to let up when he was the one thing stopping Harley from killing Uldren.

"Not here, Ace. Not like this."

"You have many things to answer for, Uldren Sov," said Bazzle.

A new voice rang through the room. "Believe me, he _will_ answer for them."

They turned to see Petra Venj stalking towards them, a sidearm in her hand. She came to a stop in front of Uldren, leveling her gun at his chest. Kaedro weighed his options. Petra was the more immediate threat. Harley's bow was somewhere across the room and Kaedro was confident that he could stop the other Hunter before he could reach it. He released his hold on Harley to move between Uldren and Petra.

"Whoa. We can't just _end_ him."

"I agree," said Bazzle, "Even given what he's done, it doesn't justify-"

"You don't know what he's done!" snapped Petra, "His crimes are unforgivable!" She looked at Kaedro. "You're a Hunter. What do you think Cayde would do?"

Kaedro hadn't forgotten for a second that he was protecting the man who had killed his friend in cold blood and he didn't appreciate that fact being thrown in his face, especially by Petra Venj. But as much as he wanted to condemn Uldren to death, he felt that there was something more going on.

Prism materialized in a small flash of light. "He wouldn't want this," she said firmly, looking Petra in the eye.

The Awoken woman looked away, but her expression lost none of its anger.

"Then maybe it's not about what Cayde would want. Maybe it's about what the Reef needs. What Harley needs. What _I_ need."

"Harley doesn't need this. He thinks he does, but he's wrong. And I know there's a part of him that knows it… I don't know what crimes Uldren has committed, but killing him here, this way, isn't the answer. Let him stand trial before the Awoken. Let him answer for his crimes the _right_ way."

"'Crimes,'" hissed Uldren, "All that I've done, all that I've sacrificed, has been for my sister… And I would do it _all_ again."

"You won't get the chance," said Harley coldly.

Kaedro turned to see Harley holding the Ace of Spades, pointing it squarely at Uldren's chest. He lunged for the hand cannon, knowing that he would be too slow to stop it. He was midstep when the cannon fired. Uldren crumpled to the ground at the same time as Kaedro's hand closed around Harley's wrist.

Harley didn't fight him, letting the gun fall to the floor of his own accord. Petra holstered her sidearm, her face grim.

"It is done."

Kaedro looked helplessly at Bazzle. "What the hell do we do now?"

Bazzle sighed in defeat. "The only thing we can do is return to the Tower... The Vanguard will need to hear of this."

"What about Ace?"

"He will have to return with us. He acted against orders."

"Your Vanguard would condemn him for avenging Cayde?" said Petra, "Cayde was one of them!"

"I am aware," said Bazzle wearily, "But a Guardian of the City cannot afford to lose their head. Hayden breached protocol. He acted outside of the City's jurisdiction in defiance of direct orders from his superiors... He will have to stand before the Vanguard and possibly the Consensus."

Kaedro's head snapped up. "Wait, the Consensus? No way! Those Light-forsaken bureaucrats would have him exiled!"

"I doubt it will come to that."

"It will, sure as the sky is blue. They've always been trigger-happy with this sort of thing and now that the Speaker isn't there to mediate, they'll surely be even worse!"

"Which is why I'm hoping that this matter can be resolved internally by the Vanguard... In either case, we need to leave now, before word of what happened here reaches the rest of the system. It's...better off coming from us."

Kaedro sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

He bent down and picked up the Ace of Spades, then patted Harley on the shoulder.

"I'll hold onto this for now, kid."

Harley didn't seem to register his words.

"We all riding with you, Baz?"

Bazzle nodded. "Prism, would you direct Hayden's ship to set a course for Earth on autopilot?"

"Yes, I can do that."

"Thank you. Kaedro, prepare for transmat."

Kaedro grabbed Harley's bow before moving to stand next to Harley.

"Ready."

As they got ready to depart, Petra came over. She looked between Bazzle and Kaedro.

"For what it's worth, I know this wasn't easy for you. I hope the City doesn't judge his actions...or yours, too harshly." She placed a hand on Harley's shoulder. "Good luck, Harley."

She looked like she wanted to add more, but in the end, she just shook her head and walked away. Kaedro sighed. A few moments later, Sway spoke up.

" _Transmat imminent,"_ she informed them.

Kaedro's vision flashed white and suddenly he was sitting inside Bazzle's ship. Harley occupied the seat next to him, looking down at his hands in vague confusion. Kaedro knew they would have to talk about what had happened with the Taken back in the tower. He knew they had a lot to clear up before they got back to the City, but for now, he figured they could all use some time to process what had happened.

Petra's words had made him realize something. He and Bazzle had failed. The Vanguard sent them to prevent Harley from killing Uldren and they hadn't been able to. What was worse, there was a part of Kaedro that knew they probably could have stopped Harley days ago. Maybe if they'd used more force in the beginning, if they'd tried harder, they could have stopped this all from happening. Had he not committed enough to completing the mission? He wasn't sure. Up until this moment, he'd been telling himself that he was doing his best, but what if he hadn't? If he'd really done everything in his power to stop Harley, then Harley wouldn't have been able to kill Uldren. Was there a part of him that agreed with Harley's actions? Was that the reason for their failure? He met Bazzle's gaze and he could tell the Titan knew what he was thinking about.

"Baz, do you think… the reason we couldn't stop him, do you think it was-"

"It wasn't your fault," said Bazzle.

"But-"

"It was mine."

"What? What do you mean?"

Bazzle sighed. "I was holding back… Hayden's a member of my team and a fellow Guardian. I held back because of those things and it cost us the mission and possibly the City's relationship with the Reef."

"Whoa, hold on. You can't put all of this on yourself, Baz. I was just as-"

"You weren't. I was the one who dragged you into this mission. I made the decision to contact you."

"Hey, you didn't drag me into anything. You may've called me but _I_ made the choice to come along and I made that choice knowing what we'd have to do to ensure the mission's success. You gave me multiple chances to back out and I turned them down. This isn't on you."

"I'm not sure that's how the Vanguard will see it," said Bazzle grimly.

"Of course they will! I know they're pressured to do and say certain things, but they'll understand better than anyone that it wasn't your fault. Cayde was their friend too."

"Perhaps… But what about the Consensus?"

"For all we know, the Consensus won't even be involved. No use worrying about what hasn't been decided."

"I suppose. I still would not take that bet if I were you."

Kaedro chuckled halfheartedly. "Wouldn't be much of a bet if it was certain." He patted the Titan's shoulder. "We've got a long flight back, yet. Let's just concentrate on getting Ace home and leave the logistics to the bureaucrats."

Bazzle nodded, turning back to the viewscreen. Kaedro sighed as he looked back at Harley, watching the swirling colors of warp space play across the Hunter's face. Despite his advice to Bazzle, he couldn't help but worry over what would happen when they got back to the Tower. There was no telling what kind of welcome Harley would face when they arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. If it seems like this story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, that's because it kind of did. I wrote this story to lead into the next one, which I've already begun drafting. A few things before you go...
> 
> Major thanks to everyone who left kudos, bookmarked, and especially commented. You guys are the reason I keep writing.
> 
> To catch more future stories from me, you can subscribe to my profile. Or if it's just Chasing Fate you're interested in, you can subscribe to the Chasing Fate series.
> 
> If any of you are inspired to write stories about or involving any Chasing Fate characters, you have my blessing. All I ask is that you PM me to let me know of your intentions.
> 
> I currently have a number of story ideas in mind, the next part of the Chasing Fate series being the foremost. But I've also been thinking of writing a story about my older Guardians and their backstories, so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> You can find Chasing Fate art on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and DeviantArt (all under the name ArcaneGlitch).
> 
> One last thing: I may be going back to address some of the weaker aspects of my first few stories. Namely Herald of the Machine World, Darkness Ascending, and The Final Shape. Updates on that front will be provided via author's notes.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Onto the next adventure!


End file.
